Autonomous groups of individuals who share a common problem or concern, either directly or through their partners and families, who meet together on a voluntary basis, either in-person, by telephone or via the Internet, to fulfill a need, overcome a disability or cope with a crisis. Members of mutual support groups share their experiences, strengths and hopes and rely on one another for emotional support, information and resources. Included are professionally-facilitated groups, faith-based and secular 12-step models with or without professional participation, groups that use a set of guidelines prepared by a national organization or headquarters, and groups that have no professional participation and/or no specifically-structured format.

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