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🗣️ Self-help groups for loneliness

How self-help groups work, how to find a suitable one and how their funding is regulated.

Self-help group NAKOS Self-help contact point § 20h SGB V Self-help funding Group exchange

In brief

In a self-help group, people with similar experiences – such as loneliness after a loss, chronic illness or isolation in old age – meet regularly to exchange views. Unlike therapy, a self-help group is not led by a professional but run by the participants themselves. It is usually free of charge and open to new members.

Step by step

  1. Find a suitable topicThere are self-help groups for many causes of loneliness: grief, separation, chronic illness, caring for relatives or social isolation in general.
  2. Contact a local self-help contact pointSelf-help contact points (often run by municipalities or welfare associations) refer you to existing groups or help set up a new one.
  3. Use the NAKOS databaseThe Nationale Kontakt- und Informationsstelle zur Anregung und UnterstĂĽtzung von Selbsthilfegruppen (NAKOS, national contact and information point for encouraging and supporting self-help groups) provides a nationwide overview of self-help contact points and groups.
  4. Try it outMost groups allow a non-binding first meeting before you decide on regular participation.
  5. Set up your own group if neededIf no suitable group can be found, self-help contact points also support setting up a new one, including with rooms and advice.

Deadlines

No statutory deadline
There is no statutory deadline or waiting period for taking part in a self-help group. Funding of self-help groups by the health insurance funds, by contrast, follows funding guidelines set annually.§ 20h SGB V
Watch out – common mistakes
  • A self-help group does not replace psychotherapy or medical treatment but can usefully complement them.
  • Not every group suits every person; switching groups or choosing a different format is not failure.
  • The density of self-help groups varies by region; in rural areas in particular the choice may be limited.
  • The exact level of annual self-help funding under § 20h SGB V is set anew each year by the health insurance funds and is therefore not given here as a fixed euro amount.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Statutory self-help funding

Under § 20h SGB V, the statutory health insurance funds provide financial support to groups, contact points and organisations of self-help for people with chronic illness and disabilities. The specific annual funding sum is set anew each year by the health insurance funds and their associations (principles of the GKV-Spitzenverband); there is no fixed nationwide euro sum per group, which is why no concrete figure is given here.

NAKOS

The Nationale Kontakt- und Informationsstelle zur Anregung und UnterstĂĽtzung von Selbsthilfegruppen (NAKOS) is a nationwide specialist and referral body that lists local self-help contact points via its "Rote Adressen" database and nationwide self-help organisations via its "GrĂĽne Adressen" database. It is funded, among others, by the Federal Ministry of Health.

Distinction from group therapy

Unlike a self-help group, group psychotherapy is led by licensed psychotherapists and is subject to the Psychotherapie-Richtlinie of the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (see the separate page on cost coverage for psychotherapy).

Who is responsible
  • Local self-help contact point
  • NAKOS (nationwide referral)
  • Statutory health insurance fund (funding)
Further reading
Psychotherapy for loneliness: cost coverageLoneliness after bereavement or separationAdvice and contact points for loneliness

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Self-help groups for loneliness“?
How self-help groups work, how to find a suitable one and how their funding is regulated.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
No statutory deadline: There is no statutory deadline or waiting period for taking part in a self-help group. Funding of self-help groups by the health insurance funds, by contrast, follows funding guidelines set annually. (§ 20h SGB V)
What should I do first?
  • Find a suitable topic: There are self-help groups for many causes of loneliness: grief, separation, chronic illness, caring for relatives or social isolation in general.
  • Contact a local self-help contact point: Self-help contact points (often run by municipalities or welfare associations) refer you to existing groups or help set up a new one.
  • Use the NAKOS database: The Nationale Kontakt- und Informationsstelle zur Anregung und UnterstĂĽtzung von Selbsthilfegruppen (NAKOS, national contact and information point for encouraging and supporting self-help groups) provides a nationwide overview of self-help contact points and groups.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • A self-help group does not replace psychotherapy or medical treatment but can usefully complement them.
  • Not every group suits every person; switching groups or choosing a different format is not failure.
  • The density of self-help groups varies by region; in rural areas in particular the choice may be limited.
Evidence
  • § 20h SGB V (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • nakos.de, retrieved September 2026
As of

As of September 2026. · Sources and method

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