Introduction to Patient's Charter >>

Let’s Face It’s philosophy on Self -Help leading towards rehabilitation.

Let’s Face It is run only by people who suffer from a facial difference, their carers and allied health professionals.

Some 25 years ago, Hurvitz (1970, 1974) claimed that self-help groups were more effective and efficient than any other form of helping.” It is likely that more people have been and are being helped by self-help groups than have been and are being helped by all types of professionally trained psychotherapists combined with far less theorising and analysing and for much less money” (Hurvitz 1970)”.

Let’s Face It has been in existence since January 1984. The founder of the Network, Christine Piff, (1985) wrote a book telling of her experience of facial cancer which was published in 1985. Subsequently, the Network reached out to countries world-wide and Let’s Face It has become an International Network linking together patients and professionals for self-help, information and mutual support.

Bibliography: Hurvitz, N (1974) Similarities and differences between conventional psychotherapy and peer self-help groups. The sociology of psychotherapy. New York: Aronson Piff, C. (1985) Living with facial cancer. Let’s Face It. London: Gollancz

 

Let's Face It Patient's Charter >>

A focus on the group and the individual with the aim of getting back into the community.

Being helped by helping others.

A non-competitive, co-operative orientation.

Encouraging an ability to use one’s own power to take control over one’s own life.

A strong optimism in the ability to accept a ‘changed’ face.

A belief that small steps are important. Do what you can do, one day at a time, you can’t solve everything approach.

An emphasis on experience - people who have the problem know a lot more from experiencing it.

Simplicity and informality - everyone being heard and listened to.

The centrality of helping - knowing how to receive help, give help and help yourself.

Now, more and more professionals are taking self-help groups seriously. Given the inexhaustibility of human need, there is a place for professionals, for the self-help movement and a partnership between the two.