Dimensions and predictions of professional involvement in self-help groups: a view from within

Much has been written about the relationship between professionals and self-help groups, largely from the professional perspective. This article discusses the perspective of self-help group members on the involvement of [...]
This article focuses on an analysis of how members of self-help groups perceived professional involvement and what they defined as the dimensions of such involvement. Models to predict these identified dimensions are also suggested. The instrument developed for the study consisted of two parts: (1) demographic question and (2) 12 statements concerning self-help group members' attitudes toward professional involvement. Based on responses from 183 members of self-help groups, three categories were identified according to their main focus: groups dealing with health issues, groups dealing with alternative lifestyles, and groups based on the 12-step model. Analysis yielded two conceptually different constructs influencing group members' attitudes: collaboration and duality. Keywords group members' perspective professional involvement self-help groups