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will usually yield useful sites as well as books, tapes, and other
services, often in the form of ads.
To find self-help assistance on the Internet, the best hard
copy directories of diverse mental health resources are John Grohol’s
(1997) and (2004), The Insider’s Guide to Mental Health Resources
Online. Morrison & Stamps (1998) have written a similar book.
However, these books may not be obtained easily, unless you are on a
college campus. And, since you are online now, the sites listed below
are instantly available.
Below are good starting points for seeking specific how-to-
cope information and support groups:
(1) To find explicit, detailed directions for coping with a
variety of specific problems, just as if you were searching for a
specialized book, go to the relevant chapter’s index in this online book
(or use its search engine). Self-help instructions will be found in the
discussion of your problem. In addition, I have cited the more helpful
and science-based books and Internet sites in that area. Other
Internet sites provide many self-help resources: Dr. Grohol’s
brochures and articles available on the Web
Of course, you can simply do a search for your problem on a major
search engine. This will give you some URL’s of sites offering help with
your specific concern. But many useful sites will be missed and the
useful sites that are found will be intermixed with unscientific,
marginal sites and with ads.
(2) To find local self-help support groups, call your local
Mental Health Center, a local psychiatric/psychological treatment
center, or a local hospital. If this doesn’t work, try Dr. Grohol's
groups all over the US and helps people start their own local support
groups if none is available. To find support groups on the
Internet, called “newsgroups,” “mail lists,” “chat groups,” “forums,”
(https://psychcentral.com/resources/Other/Support_Groups/).
also
(https://forums.psychcentral.com/),
offers several good support groups. Online
there is a direct link from the title page to the Self-Help Forum. Other
