The professional connection with self-help groups in health care settings.

The growth of self-help groups relating to health and mental health agencies has been a significant phenomenon of the past decade. Self-help groups offer important benefits to their members as they provide a structure for mutual aid and support and a forum for social/legislative action around a felt social problem. As therapeutic and physical extenders of services they are of significance to professional providers. This paper provides a framework for the professional social worker to view the self-help phenomenon, presents a typology of self-help groups relating to health care agencies, and describes the role of social work in several self-help groups.