In the new book, New Religious Movements and Counselling: Academic, Professional and Personal Perspectives, Edited by Sarah Harvey, Silke Steidinger, James A. Beckford,  Wendy has a chapter entitled ‘Twelve Step Mutual Aid: Spirituality, Vulnerability and Recovery’ in this new volume published by Routledge. In the chapter she asks whether it is helpful to categorise Twelve Step Mutual Aid as a form of Counselling or as a New Religious Movement.

She argues that while there are features in common, ultimately neither category offers a sufficiently useful frame for understanding Twelve Step Mutual Aid. She recommends qualitative research rather than classification as the best route to insight into the experiences and lives of people in Twelve Step Recovery.