Mutual Help Groups, Well Being and Mental Health

Mutual help groups provide an important gateway to wellbeing and mental health, according to a West Australian study,

The study, entitled ‘Mutual help groups and psychological wellbeing: A study of GROW, a community mental health organisation’, employed quantitative and extensive qualitative research methods to answer questions as to how GROW impacts on psychological wellbeing, how it helps GROW members and how people change in GROW.

The research indicates that these groups should be seen as complementary to other forms of therapy and an important aid in the reduction of relapse.

The finding comes in an Australian context where the potential of mutual help groups for improving wellbeing and mental health is largely unrecognised professionally.

This omission can be explained by the dearth of research into mutual help groups (MHGs) in this country, and alongside this scarcity, a lack of teaching in mainstream health curricula about their potential benefits.

Download the GROW case study (Word version)

For further information

Contact	:	GROW
Phone	:	02 9569 5566
Fax	:	02 9564 6173