In 1976 Dorothy Scott established a weekly support group for women who had been recently discharged from the Queen Victoria Hospital in Melbourne following treatment for post-partum psychiatric disorders. The psychiatric unit at the hospital had pioneered the joint admission of psychotic and depressed mothers and their babies in Australia in the early 1970s, and the post-partum support group was also one of the first of its type. The groups became an important element in providing support to women during the vulnerable period post-discharge. Women were also introduced to the group during their admission and so the groups also became an important element in inpatient treatment. This year is the 25th anniversary of the formation of the first group and most members of that group are still in contact with one another and they occasionally meet on a social basis, sometimes with their partners. For a number of the women the strong bonds forged in the group's early days have helped to sustain them through subsequent periods of psychiatric illness. Some women in the initial group went on to play a leading role in the first self-help groups for women suffering from post-partum disorders which emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Drawing upon her original notes, recollections and recent follow-up discussions with some group members, Dorothy Scott will reflect upon the group's development and dynamics. This unique and rich opportunity to analyse a naturally occurring group process from a longitudinal perspective will be placed within the historical context of unfolding conceptualisations of post-partum adjustment from biological, psychoanalytic, family systems and sociological perspectives.