Self-Help Toolkit: Sending New Patients to Self-Help

Mental Health

Sending New Patients to Self-Help

Click a question to reveal the answer.

How do I describe self-help groups to a patient who has never been to a meeting?

Introductory information about self-help groups can be found here: Handouts for Patients.

Do you have any handouts for patients about self-help groups?

Should I refer patients to self-help while they are in VA treatment?

Yes, patients are often referred while still in treatment. In fact, research shows that patients who participated in 12-step self-help groups in addition to treatment were twice as likely to be abstinent than those who did not (Dawson et al. 2006).

For more information on this topic see: Moos, R., & Timko, C. Outcome Research on 12-step and other Self-Help Programs [p 568].