Practicing in a person-centred environment - self-help groups in psycho-social rehabilitation

The increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and impairments in the population is putting new demands on health and rehabilitation services. Research on self-help groups suggest that participation in these groups might have a positive impact on people who are struggling with chronic illnesses or disabilities. In this study, we explore person-centred support in which participants in self-help groups are undergoing rehabilitation to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to handle life's challenges.

The design is exploratory, analysing data from informant interviews and focus groups (a total of 32 participants) using a Grounded Theory inspired approach to analyse. The participants were rehabilitation clients aged between 20 and 60 years; eight were men and twenty-six were women.

Three main categories emerged as being important self-help processes that were likely to promote positive rehabilitation outcomes: (1) Learning and practicing safely, (2) A refuge from expectations, (3) Internal processes that accentuate the positives.

Peer support delivered through the structured self-help environment can facilitate the development of new self-awareness, promote acceptance and adjustment, facilitate the establishment of new skills and enable transfer of learning to new environments, including the workplace.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONSelf-help groups may support the process of rehabilitation.Participating in self-help groups provides an enabling context for individuals to address challenges and limitations.Peer support delivered through the structured self-help environment can facilitate the development of new self-awareness, promote adjustment, and facilitate the establishment of new skills.Participating in peer led self-help groups can assist with the transfer of learning to new environments, including development of potential work capacity.