Argues that small-group mutual aid organizations are successful voluntary associations that attract members even in our individualistic and commodity-driven culture because they provide valuable collective benefits that can only be enjoyed in common. Small groups as a source of social capital have implications for the study of helping…

A model of evaluation is presented that allows direct service agencies in mental health and substance abuse areas to evaluate their programs cost effectively and appropriately. The approach emphasizes research partnerships as potentially valuable ways for self-help group members to explore their own practices through communication and critical…

The results of an informal survey of the characteristics, composition, capacity building needs and future directions of sixty Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs) are documented in this report. Included among the survey findings are the purposes, current achievements, and future goals of the associations,…