n Japan, many scholars have not yet arrived at a clear consensus onthe definition of self-help groups and support groups, and the confusion hasbeen further aggravated by recent changes in the college-level curriculum forcertified social workers in Japan (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare,2008). Under the new curriculum, social workers are apparently expected tohelp a self-help group that is assumed to have evolved out of their socialwork. We are concerned that social workers who are trained under this newcurriculum might want to help self-help groups in a way different from whatis expected of them. This is another reason that we decided to introduce a“self-help supporter” model for Japanese social worker