A support group is being formed at NIU for those with friends or family members in the Persian Gulf.

The group is being co-sponsored by the Counseling and Student Development Center and the University Resources for Women, who will provide counselors if the need is great.

Two counselors from the URW will be on hand to work with anyone needing support, said Sharon Howard, director of University Resources for Women.

“It is primarily a guided discussion of the issues and stresses that face those with friends or family members in the Gulf,” she added.

Marie Emmer, a counselor in the community, and Howard are the two counselors who will be at the support group, said Paula Realina, graduate assistant for the URW.

In order to prepare for the group, they attended a workshop at Great Lakes Naval Station in Waukegan on Wednesday, Howard said. The workshop was intended for “anyone who provides support for the war,” she said.

ealina thought of the idea and organized the group, she said.

“I felt there was a need for this in the community,” Realina said, “so I just pulled it together.”

If a large number of people attend the meeting, it will be divided into two different groups, Howard said. The Counseling and Student Development Center will provide extra counselors “depending on what the need is,” said Anna Beth Payne, associate director for the Counseling and Student Development Center.

The first support group meeting will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the University Resources for Women building, 105 Normal Road.