This document contains guidelines for social workers and other resource persons who are assisting self-help groups. It begins by defining the purpose of the resource person as meeting with group members on a consistent basis to provide information about available resources, offer suggestions and advice when appropriate, answer questions, and offer…

Addresses the characteristics and boundaries of a professionally led support group and how it differs from a self-help group and group psychotherapy. Points out that core differences among the three types of groups tend to revolve around membership screening and interactions, goals, dynamics of change, and leadership strategies. (LLL)

This document is a guide for the establishment and maintenance of parent support groups. It is a result of a conference on building parent support groups sponsored by the Colorado State Department of Social Services which brought together professionals and parents. The suggested audiences are people interested in forming similar groups; non-profit…

This guide was designed to help individuals interested in developing caregiver support groups. It begins with an overview of the caregiving situation, identifying stresses associated with caregiving and factors which have been shown to moderate stress. Purposes of a support group are discussed; differences between support and therapy groups are…

This document presents reports of three 1983 workshops held at Clark College in Atlanta on the needs of the elderly on the southside of Atlanta. The first workshop focused on the needs of the elderly in the areas of resources, housing and public safety, transportation, support groups and self-help, nutrition, and church involvement. The second…

This document presents a discussion of how to set up an on-campus peer support system designed to help college students cope with stress. The possible functions of a peer support center are outlined and features of a proposal for such a center are listed, including a clear mandate of the center, a rationale for the services to be provided, a list…

This directory contains information about organizations in the United States that offer support, education, referral, advocacy, and other assistance to parents of children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Organizations included are those identified as providing one or more of the following services: education and information;…

This directory contains information about 214 organizations that offer support, information, and other services to parents of seriously emotionally handicapped children and adolescents in the United States. The directory listings were compiled from information obtained through a 1985-86 survey of parent organizations conducted by the Families as…

This 60-item bibliography, a compilation of abstracts of books, articles, handbooks, conference proceedings, and newsletters published from 1978 through 1989, addresses various aspects of groups, programs and other self-help resources for parents and other family members of people with disabilities. Literature in the first section provides…

This paper describes the consumer program, "Helpful People in Touch," a self-help treatment program for people with the multiple disorders of mental illness, drug addiction, and/or alcoholism. First, the terms, "Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers and Addicted" (MICAA) and "Chemical Abusing Mentally Ill" (CAMI) are defined…

This document is a learning module designed to provide adult literacy practitioners in New York and elsewhere with the materials needed to take an empowering approach to helping adult literacy learners deal with the realities of alcohol and other drug issues affecting them and their families. The module includes background material, information on…