Anyone looking for a self-help group in North Rhine-Westphalia can find such a group on the self-help network. Some 10,000 groups matching around 700 keywords are listed in the database on this website. You can see which self-help groups are available, where they meet and how you can contact any of the self-help groups listed.

A self-help group provides support to people facing the same or similar problems. People may, for example, have

• the same disease,
• a disability,
• an addiction,
• problems at work,
• a sick or disabled family member.

The members of self-help groups support each other. They talk about their problems, give advice on what might help to solve the problem concerned and encourage each other.

The self-help network also provides information on self-help contact centres. The professionals working at such self-help contact centres will help you find the right self-help group for your specific problem. Should no self-help group be available for a particular problem the experts will help you establish a new group. They also provide support to existing self-help groups - for example, if a group is looking for a place to meet.