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Item "Peer-led support for long term health conditions : its functions, benefits and challenges and how the role of a facilitator could increase effectiveness" : a Masters thesis(Massey University, 2017) Hughes, EmilyPeer-led support groups for long-term health conditions are inexpensive and beneficial resources. However, literature on peer-led support is minimal and suggests that these groups face many challenges. The current study endeavored to explore the challenges and functions of peer-led support groups for long-term health conditions; further, examining how the implementation of the role of a Facilitator for these groups could negate some of the challenges and increase the prevalence and effectiveness of groups. Through focus groups and individual interviews with Group Leaders, Health Professionals and Group Participants involved in peer-led support groups, the current study identified 7 emergent themes. These themes were discussed and analyzed, particularly in relation to the experience of peer-led support groups and the possibility for the development of the role of a facilitator in the future.Item Men with multiple sclerosis : a study of a mutual self-help support group : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Arts Degree in Social Anthropology at Massey University(Massey University, 2000) McCool, Michael JohnMultiple sclerosis is a condition that affects about twice as many women as men. I am a man with multiple sclerosis (an insider in this work) and my aim within this thesis is to relate the stories of our involvement within the support group environment. For the purpose of examining the individual and group process, I have found it useful to adopt a combination of narrative and feminist post modernist methods for understanding our ways of knowing and systems of helping. I was influenced by women of colour who argue about patriarchy and post colonialism to guide my thinking about the oppression of people with difference. The guiding principles of my study are inclusion, participation and emancipation. Inclusion occurred through involving the entire group in the research process. Active participation ensured that the theory presented in this study was grounded in the experiences of the individuals. Emancipation was achieved through presenting the voices of participants and working to provide better conditions for those concerned. This is an in-depth study of eight men who meet on a regular basis to share our interests, and life stories. We are people who are searching, surviving, succeeding and/or failing in our daily tasks. We are guys who are rational thinking human-beings and are just trying to be "normal" and included in our community. This thesis examines the process of surrendering power and the ways in which this causes the alienation of this group of individuals by our wider society. It looks at the social constructions of our disability, the fears, the chaos, dependency, our identity, and/or our visibility. Then we look at our "seizing the moment", through the process of reclaiming some of that power and control for ourselves through the benefit of mutual social support using camaraderie; the genuine need to help and care for each other and to be concerned. It is evident how our struggles and problems are not that dissimilar from other groups, for example, the emancipation of women and the plight of indigenous peoples. The discipline of social anthropology, being located within the humanities, provides an ideal base for studying the interconnections between oppressed groups.Item Relieve me of the bondage of self : addiction practitioners from three treatment centres in New Zealand discuss the use of community as a method of healing the self : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Quigley, Derek RossAt the time of writing, there are as many as 6,000 people in New Zealand who are currently receiving a state benefit because of chemical dependency or addiction. A Ministry of Health survey (2009) estimated that there are 700,000 problem drinkers and that half of our population aged 16-64 have used drugs for recreational purposes in their lifetime. Many thousands of New Zealanders have reached a point of desperation and have sought assistance from a residential treatment centre in order to receive vital help for their addiction issues. So how do these ‘places of healing’ turn someone from a state of self-pity, self-loathing, selfishness, and being in denial when they walk through the doors, to one of self-acceptance and self-awareness when they leave? I embarked on a study of three residential treatment centres, interviewing the agencies’ practitioners, discussing how living in a separate community of alcoholics and addicts sets someone on a path to recovery, and how ‘community’ is used as a method to achieve ‘relief from the bondage of self’. The study seeks to describe the addicted self and the relationship it has with community, and how community methods are used to understand and connect with the conscious self. Anthropological literature is used to describe concepts of ‘self’ and ‘community’, along with a mixture of psychological, sociological, and anthropological references to describe treatment methods. I contribute my own ‘insider’ experiences as a former client of two residential addiction treatment centres to give a level of understanding of what similar addicts experience when they go through such a significant period of change in their lives. I am so grateful that there are addiction treatment facilities available free of charge to the public in New Zealand and I hope this work gives a voice of hope to the many who pass through their doors.