To help people in need within New Jersey to share their experiences, strengths, and hopes, by aiding them in their learning about, finding & forming their own community and/or online peer support groups.

Description:
We help anyone seeking to find or start a no-fee self-help support group. The Clearinghouse maintains a database of over 4,500 self-help group meetings in New Jersey for addiction, illness, disability, loss, parenting concern, family problem, caregiver issue, abusive relationship, divorce, or other stressful life situation that they or a loved one face. Contact information for these groups are given to the public via our toll-free number.

History:
Since 1981, has helped individuals to develop over 1,100 new volunteer-run self-help groups throughout the State, to include over a dozen that have become national or international. The Clearinghouse developed a variety of how-to manuals and resources for starting groups, e.g., our country's first manual on Self-Help Groups for People Dealing with A.I.D.S. ; Out of Work But Not Alone: Self-Help Groups for Unemployment; and country's first Helping Ourselves & Helping Others: Starting Mutual Aid Self-Help Groups for Depression and Manic Depression which was used by the National Depressive & Manic-Depressive Assn.; Starting & Operating a Parent Support Group done with the national Family Resource Coalition; and The Guide to Starting a Self-Help Group for Caregivers of the Aged done with the national Children of Aging Parents, Inc., A Guide to Starting & Maintaining Postpartum Depression Support Groups done with Depression After Delivery, Inc., an international support organization of over 100 groups whose very first group was started with Clearinghouse help, and Starting Your Own Women's Wellness Support Group.

Contact person: Edward Madara, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (973) 989-1159

Address:

375 E. McFarlan St. Dover, NJ 07801 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.njgroups.org