Self-Help Groups: An Introduction

Course No: SHG-121

Audience
Students enrolled in the Hadley School for Professional Studies

Course Description
Meeting with others in similar circumstances often helps people through times of change. This course describes the benefits of self-help groups and explains how they operate. It can help you decide whether to join a self-help group for blind or visually impaired people or their families.

Media
The course is available in large print.

Organization
The course includes four lessons.

Credit
1 CEU

Prerequisites
none

Overview
Four assignments are submitted to the instructor.

Grading
satisfactory/unsatisfactory

Maximum Completion Time
2 months

Supplementary Course Materials
none

Objectives and Content

After completing Lesson 1, you will be able to:

Describe the origins and growth of self-help groups
Identify the characteristics, purposes and formats of self-help groups
Discuss the benefits of the self-help process

After completing Lesson 2, you will be able to:

Analyze the dynamics of self-help groups
List some factors affecting group membership

After completing Lesson 3, you will be able to:

Describe a typical self-help group meeting
Discuss the importance of trust and confidentiality in a self-help group
Describe communication techniques that may enhance participation in a self-help group

After completing Lesson 4, you will be able to:

Describe how a self-help group can help you cope with life’s demands with vision loss or blindness
Discuss how participation in a self-help group can help you transcend common attitudes about vision loss

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