ABSTRACT
The apparently simple question of the title is no easier to answer than its better known siblings, `does psychotherapy work?', `does counselling work?' and `do groups work?' As with other members of this family of questions, the answer is of more than academic interest. The arrival of evidence-based practice has ensured that funding decisions for psychological therapies are strongly in¯uenced, if not determined, by evidence of their effectiveness. Staff support groups are not for patients and do not come under the searching gaze of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, but in an age of evidence-based practice it seems appropriate to apply the same test, and to ask what evidence there is for the effectiveness of staff support groups.
