Special roles of mental health professionals in self-help group development

Provision of services to self-help/mutual aid groups is a natural outgrowth of the goals, objectives and activities of consultation and education (C & E) departments of community mental health centers. The C & E services of the Ravenswood Community Mental Health Center has, during the past several years, provided several forms of assistance to a variety of developing and established self-help groups in the Chicago area. Through this experience, the roles of mental health professionals in facilitating the development and maintenance of self-help groups have been explored. The provision of assistance at several stages of group development without challenging the autonomy and voluntary nature of self-help groups is a basic requirement for all professionals involved in group development. With careful recognition of the needs and nature of such groups, mutually satisfactory long-term relationships can be established between self-help groups and mental health professionals.