Mutual Help Groups (GAM): what they are and what values ​​they promote

Mutual Help Groups in mental health They have been positioned in an important way as one of the most effective strategies to accompany and improve situations of mental suffering related to different experiences.

Taking as a reference different guides for Mutual Help Groups in mental health, developed by the first-person associative collective Activament (2014; 2018), we will explain below some of the main characteristics and functions of these groups.

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Collective help strategies: Mutual Help Groups

The Mutual Help Groups (GAM) are spaces where different people share life experiences related to a problem or difficulty in particular. People come together and share these experiences with the intention of improving their situation, learning collectively, and providing mutual support.

These are groups that have been around for a long time and that can vary according to the specific experience being shared. There are, for example, groups for people who go through a situation of addiction, or for people who are in a process of

duel, or for those who have a disease in common, or for the relatives of those who have a diagnosis, among many others.

In the specific case of Mutual Help Groups for people who have in common the experience of a diagnosis of mental disorder, these are generally informal spaces where people share their experiences openly and reciprocal.

What's more, have the objective of abandoning the sick role, which helps to respond to the different difficulties generated by the stigma and self-stigma that accompany the diagnoses of mental disorder. Although the central theme is the experience related to a psychological distress (which may include or not a diagnosis), the meetings also address issues of the daily and personal life of each who.

5 characteristics of a GAM

There are a series of elements that are necessary for a group to be considered not only as a group of people who gather and talk about their life experiences, but as a Mutual Help Group, where beyond sharing these experiences it is about from ensure that its members improve their situation in an accompanied and reciprocal manner. Some of the main characteristics of GAMs are the following:

1. Share experiences and needs

Given that the main objective of the Mutual Aid Groups is, as its name implies, to provide mutual help to each other, it is essential that the help is based on the same experience. The latter can connect with other experiences, which will be different from those of other people, however, there must be one that all have in common.

2. Participation by own decision

Another characteristic of Mutual Aid Groups is that the person who has the experience, voluntarily decides to attend the meetings and be part of the group. No one is obliged or obliged to participate, and said participation is not carried out by obligatory prescription of someone external. It is about procuring that the person who has the experience is actively positioned Before this.

This is important for people who have a mental health diagnosis or a experience of psychic suffering, since passive roles are frequently assigned and assumed and little empowered.

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3. Periodic meetings

Mutual Aid Groups need to meet regularly so that their goals are achieved. In other words, Mutual Aid Groups do not meet only once. It is very important for members to bond with each other and recognize their own and other people's needs with sufficient confidence and complicity so that the meetings have some continuity.

4. Small groups

To promote a climate of trust and complicity, it is important that the GAMs are made up of a small number of people. This makes it easier for all members to participate and exchange their experiences with a feeling of closeness.

What's more this facilitates the organization of the group in other ways, ranging from speaking time to interpersonal knowledge. Nor should it be too small a group. Between 5 and 10 members is a recommended figure.

5. Horizontality (no hierarchies)

One of the most important characteristics of the Mutual Help Groups is that there are no differences in roles between the members. They are based on the principle of horizontality, which means that there are no different hierarchies. In this sense, rules regarding group moderation are the responsibility of the entire group.

The principle of horizontality makes it possible for the climate of trust and complicity to be established, and, unlike What happens in therapeutic sessions, the people who are part of the GAM acquire an active role before their own experience.

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The main values ​​of a GAM

The voices of all people are recognized in equal importance. One of the most important values ​​for Mutual Help Groups in mental health is respect, which goes through valuing diversity and promoting that each person can make their own voice heard, with their own ideas and life experiences. In the same sense, the value of inclusion is very important, which ensures that all people can share their voices with equal opportunities. And also the opposite: nobody is forced or pressured to speak during the sessions.

Likewise, it is important to maintain confidentiality, that is, not to explain the experiences of the participants to people outside the group. In this line it is also necessary maintain commitment to the group, which means ensuring that attendance at sessions occurs regularly and dedicating the necessary time.

Finally, the people who participate in a GAM come with the intention of expanding their social networks, interact with people who have the same experiences, and also to avoid rejection that in other spaces can occur.

Are GAMs in mental health the same as group therapy?

The difference between a GAM and a group therapy is that, although GAM can benefit the mental health and well-being of the participants, it is not considered psychotherapy. This is because there is no psychotherapist who is mediating the group sessions. And they are also different from group therapy because GAMs do not fall within the logic of treatment, whereas the participants are not expected to assume the roles of the patient-therapist. Experiences are shared and worked from first-person knowledge, not from external “academic knowledge”.

Bibliographic references:

• ActivaMent Catalunya Associació (2018). Guia per a Grups d’Ajuda Mutua de Salud Mental in first person. Activat x the mental health. Retrieved June 20, 2018. Available in http://activatperlasalutmental.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/guia-1a-persona-21_03-1530.pdf.
• ActivaMent Catalunya Associació (2014). Mutual Help Groups. Guidance Document for the Constitution and Management of Mutual Help Groups in Mental Health. Retrieved June 19, 2018. Available in https://consaludmental.org/publicaciones/Guiagruposayudamutua.pdf.