The role of the self-help group in various contexts is described with the focus in Chapter 17 on rehabilitation programmes for people with severe mental illness and substance use disorders. The authors here compile several perspectives on the role of such interventions, commenting that a minority of this client group achieve linkage with the self-help programmes, that diagnosis and possibly social function are associated with successful linkage, that most achieve remission without extensive use of self-help and that those consumers who experience the programmes as most helpful are those who have, among other factors, 'chosen voluntarity'. For many who work in the field, the voluntary nature of participation is one of the most significant factors and may well be what enables some clients/patients to opt for the self-help group as more attractive, and more helpful, than orthodox therapy groups. This is a very valuable book and can be recommended not only to researchers with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of these proliferating groups, but also to clinicians working with a range of consumers. In these days of quality audit, this book may provide valuable information, not simply about what self-help groups have to offer, but also what the public require from the services available. It is well organized, well-referenced and easy to read.