self-help group
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self-help group
A group of people who suffer from a similar problem, illness, or difficult life situation and meet regularly to support each other and exchange experiences.
Er fand viel Halt in seiner Selbsthilfegruppe für anonyme Alkoholiker.
He found a lot of support in his self-help group for Alcoholics Anonymous.
The word is a clear compound: 'Selbst' (self) + 'Hilfe' (help) gives 'Selbsthilfe' (self-help), and that is combined with 'Gruppe' (group). So it is literally a group in which people help themselves and each other.
Der Gedanke der Selbsthilfe ist bei der Bewältigung von Problemen sehr wichtig.
The idea of self-help is very important in coping with problems.
To name the topic of the group, German almost always uses the preposition 'für' (for) followed by a noun in the accusative. This makes clear which problem the group is concerned with.
Es gibt eine neue Selbsthilfegruppe für junge Eltern in unserer Stadt.
There is a new self-help group for young parents in our town.
Typical verbs connected with a 'Selbsthilfegruppe' (self-help group) are 'eine Gruppe besuchen' (to attend a group), 'in eine Gruppe gehen' (to go to a group), 'einer Gruppe beitreten' (to join a group), or 'eine Gruppe gründen' (to start a group).
Sie überlegt, einer Selbsthilfegruppe beizutreten, um sich auszutauschen.
She is considering joining a self-help group to exchange experiences.
self-help
'Selbsthilfe' and 'Selbsthilfegruppe' are closely related, but they are not the same thing. 'Selbsthilfe' is the general principle: people try to cope with a problem or illness on their own or together with others. A 'Selbsthilfegruppe' is a specific group of people who meet regularly and support each other. Learners can easily confuse the words because self-help often happens in groups. If you mean the type of support, say 'Selbsthilfe'. If you mean the specific group, say 'Selbsthilfegruppe'.
Nach der Arbeit besucht sie eine Selbsthilfegruppe für Angehörige.
After work, she attends a self-help group for family members.
Viele Patienten informieren sich zuerst über Möglichkeiten der Selbsthilfe.
Many patients first look into self-help options.