The way I look at it, self-help is the only way that we can get better or change, no matter whether what other help we have. I am stuck a lot, and I don't think that I can get unstuck all by myself. At the same time, nobody can do it for me either. I look at self-help books to help me figure out what to do when I need something that I'm not getting from other sources.

To me, I guess self-help is whatever work we do on our own to try to help ourselves. Self-help might be shared with a support group or therapist, and might be self-inspired or based on books or advice or assignments, etc.