‘Helping people to help themselves’ has always been a motto of social work intervention. This paper reviews existing literature on the contribution of self-help groups. The case example of the ‘New Voice Club’ in Hong Kong, a self-help organization for laryngectomees, will be used to illustrate how self-help organizations can contribute to the mental health of chronically ill patients. Self-help groups can offer patients suffering from chronic illness emotional and social support, which helps them to regain a sense of dignity and self-respect. These are crucial to the mental health of chronically ill patients and their family members.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Chan et al. (1993) studied this question.