It is becoming increasingly evident that informal psychotherapy plays a significant part in the coping strategies people use to alleviate personal distress. A form of this “social support” was evaluated in a pilot study in which ex-clients served as therapists for informal community groups made up of people experiencing clinical anxiety. Three major questions were addressed: what are the training effects of a short workshop on the ex-clients' social support skills?; can the trained ex-clients help people suffering with clinical anxiety?; and finally, does this involvement have an adverse effect on the psychological well being of these lay therapists. Between and within group analyses with multiple measures indicated that the workshop was successful in all three targeted areas. Implications are drawn for the pattern of formal psychotherapy services.