Most are women. Whatever we are dealing with, be it cancer, depression, arthritis, caregiving or parenting, often one of our first instincts is to talk to someone who's been there too, who knows what it's like. We call our friends, our sisters, our mothers and look to our networks for that special kind of peer support, the kind that provides us with information, advice and hope. Women help each other in coffee shops, community centres, church basements and over the Internet.
Women help each other to battle breast cancer, to deal with depression and to stop smoking.
They do it every day and in every community across the nation. Unfortunately, the term self-help is somewhat misleading, conjuring up everything from relationship manuals to alternative medicine. Self-help groups are not therapy groups. They are informal networks of individuals who share a common issue or life situation. Members get together either in person, over the phone, or in chat rooms on the Internet.