PEER SUPPORT in Mental Health
Principles
Benefits
For Peers (including carers)
To Services
To Community
Formal Roles
Personal Benefits
Analogies
Soccer team
Peers = players in the game
Carers = supporters on the sidelines
Clinicians = team coaches
Mountain Climbers
Peers = climbers roped together
Carers = support team
Clinicians = rescue services
In Mental Health Services
Embedded in hospital teams
Peers stand stronger together
Help to navigate the service system
Break down stigma
Advocate for systemic change
Better quality service
Gather feedback
More confident and hopeful
More self-aware
More empowered and more control
More informed choice
Exercise self determination
Take personal responsibility
In Workplaces
Embedded within teams
Support whole organisation
Training
Informal
Voice for marginalised and vulnerable people
In Tertiary Education
At Universities or TAFE
Academics
Guest lecturers
Specialist tutors
Research
Teaching
Formal
Cert IV Mental Health
On the job
University of life!
Training courses
University courses
Peer support groups
Advisory Groups
Respect
Give and receive support
Qualities
Faster recovery
Improved wellbeing & resilience
Identify & articulate critical issues
Improve social connectedness
Less distressed
Non-judgmental
Empathetic
Listen openly
Compassionate
Improved personal advocacy
Want to help
Remove barriers for service users
Better understand service user issues
More person centred
More recovery focused
More strengths based
Better outcomes
Grow
evidence base
Integrate peer perspectives
In Community Services
Volunteers
Group Facilitators
Case workers
Embedded in community teams
Research more targeted
Broader evidence base
Students better informed
Students better prepared
Build capacity and capability
Share knowledge & ideas
Build up skills
Share resources and tools
More engagement by service users
Better engagement with service users
Respectful
Focus on strengths and recovery
Improve services
Patient
Good coach
Shared responsibillity
Mutual agreement
Non-clinical
Share lived experience
Offer emotional, social and practical support
Better connected and supported
Honest
New opportunities
Employment
Personal Development
Advisors
As Advocates
Policy
Standards and practices
Strategy
Human & legal rights
Crisis, respite & in home carers
Promote family and social recovery
Social change
Helpliine responders