2.2. Participants

Participants were 10 patients, nine women and one man, drawn from research groups implemented in 2019 and 2022. Participants were originally recruited from units in different fields of special care, such as rheumatology and neurology, that sought to meet patients' need for managing their symptoms and adjusting to their illness. The participants had been diagnosed 1–3 years earlier and on average had experienced symptoms for approximately 2–5 years before attending the intervention. Their illness severity was classified, using the ICC 2011 criteria, as mild (8/10) and moderate to severe (2/10). Their mean age was 41 years and median 44 years (range 20–59). The participants were from the occupational fields of education, social and healthcare, trade, and information technology. All were white, and none had previously experienced an intervention of this kind. Five participants were in both the 2019 and 2022 groups. The intervention comprised eight 2‐h sessions over 16 weeks and one follow up‐meeting at 3 months postintervention. The same individuals were present in the same sessions, and thus got to know one another and share their experiences of managing their illness.