The term Self-Help refers both to

• Groups
• Methods used by individuals outside of services to help with managing thier mental health

Self-Help Groups 

 There are a number of self-help and support groups run by people with mental health difficulties in the city. Some of these operate within statutory or voluntary sector services and others are run by their members.

Self-help groups may be run by a facilitator. Others may be more informal. Many self-help and support groups have developed round a particular issue, providing a place where people with similar experiences can come together.

There are also some support groups for carers.

Please use the Service Search facility to look for self-help groups in Sheffield.

Self-Help Methods

There is information available in a wide variety of forms such as leaflets, booklets and on websites to help promote mental wellbeing and to manage feelings, symptoms and situations associated with mental health difficulties. Such resources can help people address their mental health needs outside of services or in conjunction with other support. They have the advantage of being able to be tailored to a persons particular need or situation and done at the individuals own pace. They are also useful for people who find involvement with groups and services difficult for whatever reason.

There are a series of helpful booklets produced by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust which can be found by clicking HERE.

There are self-help techniques available on the South East Glasgow NHS website and the BBC website.

There are simple self-help techniques and videos of relaxation techniques on the website for the Relaxation for Living Institute.

See www.mind.org.uk for self-help guides.

There is a computer-based self help programme called 'Beating the Blues' available for people diagnosed with depression. The programme is accessed through your GP or through an IAPT worker. The programme consists of 8 weekly sessions with additional homework and requires access to a computer with broadband, sound and a recent Adobe Flash facility. It is available in English only. The Beating the Blues website gives further information about how the programme works.