During the past 15 years, there has been tremendous growth in the numb
er of self help groups and agencies for mental health clients. This ar
ticle examines the self-help perspective in relation to problems with
traditional mental health services and the need for client-run service
s. Self-help agencies see their goal as empowerment on an individual,
organizational, and societal level. They strive to accomplish this by
helping members obtain needed resources and develop coping skills; pro
viding means of enhancing members' self-concept and lessening the stig
ma of perceived mental disability, giving members control in the agenc
ies' governance, administration, and service delivery, and furthering
member involvement in social policy-making. The goal of this article i
s not to endorse the self-help perspective but to use it as the basis
for raising research questions that will further the mental health pra
ctitioner's understanding of this service modality.