Ideas and Considerations for Starting a Self-Help

Mutual Aid Group

Self-help groups offer people who face a common problem the opportunity to meet with others and share their experiences, knowledge, strengths and hopes. run by and for their members, self-help groups can be better described as "mutual help" groups. Hundreds of these groups are started each week across the country by ordinary people with a little bit of courage, a fair sense of commitment, and heavy amount of caring. The following guidelines are based on our experience at the Self-Help Clearinghouse in helping hundreds of individuals to start groups. While there is no one recipe for starting a group (different issues, needs and local resources result in different approaches), we have listed below a few general considerations you may find helpful.

1. Don't re-invent the wheel

If you are interested in starting a group around a particular concern or problem, even if it is the first group of its kind in the world for that problem, you can best learn from the other self-help groups that already exist. Consider visiting one or two groups (as similar as possible) to observe how they operate. First call the group to see if their meeting is "open". Borrow what you consider their best techniques to use in your own group. Take what you like from their flyers and materials, to adapt for your own. If you're indeed trailblazing and developing a completely new type of self-help group, consider calling a few groups and asking the current representative or leader of that group if they would provide suggestions to start your group or suggest resource people in your area, call them and clearly determine what help they can provide you in developing a group.

2. Think "Mutual-Help" from the Start

Find a few others who share your interest in starting (not simply joining) a self-help group. Put out flyers or letters that specifically cite this need. Your "core group" or "steering committee" can help prevent you from "burning out" down the road. But perhaps more importantly, if several people are involved in the planning and initial tasks (refreshments, publicity, name tags, greeters, etc.) they will model for others at the time of the first public meeting what self-help mutual aid is all about -- not one person doing it all, but a group effort.

3. Find a Suitable Meeting Place and Time

Try to obtain free meeting space at a local church, synagogue, library, community centre, hospital or social service agency. If you anticipate a small group and feel comfortable with the idea, consider initial meetings in members' homes. Would evening or day meetings be better for members? Most prefer weeknights. It is also easier for people to remember the meeting time if it's the same day of the week or month, like the second Thursday of the month, etc.

4. Publicizing and Running your First Public Meeting

Reaching potential members is never easy. Depending upon the problem area, consider where potential members go. Would they be seen by particular doctors or agencies? Contacting physicians, clergy or other professionals can be one approach to try. Flyers in post offices, community centres, hospitals, libraries, is another. Free announcements in the community calendar sections of local newspapers can be especially fruitful.

The first meeting should be arranged so that there will be ample time for you describe your interest and work, while allowing others the opportunity to share feelings and concerns. Do those attending agree that such a group is needed? will they attend another meeting, helping out as needed? What needs do they have in common that the group could address? Based on consensus, make plans for your next meeting.

5. Future Meetings

Other considerations for future meetings may be the following:

A. Defining the purpose(s) of the group. Are they clear? You may want to add them to any flyer or brochure you have for the group, and include any guidelines you have for your meetings.

B. Membership. Who can attend meetings and who cannot? do you want regular membership limited to those with the problem and an associate membership for spouses and family?

C. Meeting format. What choice or combination of discussion time, education, business meeting, service planning, socializing, etc. suits your group best? What guidelines might you use to assure that discussions be nonjudgmental, confidential and informative? Topics can be selected or guest speakers invited. A good discussion group size is 7 to 15. As your meeting grows larger, consider breading down into smaller groups for discussion.

D. Phone network. Self-help groups should provide an atmosphere of caring, sharing and support when needed. Many groups encourage the exchange of telephone numbers to provide help over the phone whenever it is needed.

E. Use of professionals. After you're under way, consider using professionals as speakers, advisors, consultants to your groups, and sources of continued referrals.

F. Projects. Always begin with small projects. Rejoice and pat yourselves on the back when you succeed with these first projects. Then work your way up to the more difficult tasks.

G. Lastly, expect your group to experience "up's and down's" in terms of attendance and enthusiasm. It's natural and to be expected. You may want to consider joining or forming a coalition or state association of leaders from the same or similar groups, for periodic mutual support and the sharing of program ideas and successes.

Partial Bibliography

Hill, Karen (with update by Hector Balthazar). Helping You Helps Me: A Guide Book for Self-Help Groups, (for starting and maintaining groups), 1986, 82 pages. Order for $4.50 from Canadian Council on Social Development, Attn: Publications; P.O. Box 3505, Station C, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 4G1.

Humm, Andy. How to Organize a Self-Help Group, 1979, 48 pages. Order for $6.00 each from National Self-Help Clearinghouse, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Madara, E.J. and Meese, A. The Self-Help Sourcebook, directory of national and model groups, 3rd Edition, 1990, Order for $10.00 each from Self-Help Clearinghouse, St. Clares-Riverside Medical Centre, Denville, NJ 07834.