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Self-Help and Support Groups
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Self-Help and Support Groups
A Handbook for Practitioners



February 1997 | 248 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
The first volume to address both self-help and support groups and provide a clear distinction between the two, Self-Help and Support Groups dispels misunderstandings and inaccurate assumptions about how they function, whom they attract, and how they help participants achieve goals. Author Linda Farris Kurtz informs students and practitioners in the human services about the concepts, theories, and research involving self-help and support groups. She provides practical advice and direction to professionals for working with these groups while analyzing self-help/support organizations on three different levels--in terms of the groups themselves, the groupsÆ members, and the practitionerÆs interaction with the groups. In addition, this comprehensive volume discusses the most prominent representative associations as examples of different types of groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Recovery, Inc., National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the AlzheimerÆs Association. It also examines the rise of telephone and on-line self-help, considering the advantages and disadvantages of this style of group interaction. As an added bonus, each chapter includes exercises and discussion questions. Filling the void in literature on this neglected topic, Self-Help and Support Groups is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and professionals in social work, human services, and clinical/counseling psychology.

 
PART ONE: THE GROUP
 
Introduction
 
Helping Characteristics and Change Mechanisms in Self-Help Groups
 
Ideology, Climate, Structure and Professionalization in Self-Help and Support Groups
 
PART TWO: THE MEMBER
 
Beginning Participation
 
Long-Term Participation
 
PART THREE: THE PRACTITIONER
 
Practitioner Roles with Support Groups
 
Practitioner Relationships with Self-Help Groups
 
PART FOUR: REPRESENTATIVE GROUPS
 
Twelve Step Programs
 
Other Change Oriented Associations: Recovery Inc and Parents Anonymous
 
Supportive Educational Groups
 
Telephone and On-Line Self-Help

This is a classic and provides a great introductory text into the alcoholic self. The section of this book committed to social isolation and protective practices is ahead of its time and still relevant in the context of heavy end alcohol use.

Mr William McGovern
Sch of Health,Community & Educ Studies, Northumbria University
May 28, 2014

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