The Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program helps you learn the skills you need to build your own self-management program that helps you:

• become an active member of your health-care team,
• work better with your health-care providers and
• handle the day-to-day challenges of your disease.

The Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program is a group education program designed to complement the care provided by your health-care team and allow you to share experiences with others. Trained volunteers, many of whom have arthritis or fibromyalgia, lead the courses. The Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program is designed to:

• identify and teach you the latest pain management techniques,
• help you develop your own individualized exercise program,
• help you learn to manage fatigue and stress more effectively,
• discuss the purposes and effective use of medications,
• help you find solutions to problems caused by your arthritis,
• identify ways to deal with anger, fear, frustration and depression,
• discuss the role of nutrition in arthritis management,
• help you learn new ways to communicate with family and friends and
• teach you how to form a partnership with your health-care team.

Past participants of the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program have experienced such benefits as:

• increased knowledge about their arthritis,
• increased frequency of exercise and relaxation,
• increased self-confidence,
• decreased depression,
• decreased pain and
• decreased physician visits.