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Peer support services
refer to support provided by people with mental illnesses to other people
with mental illnesses. These services can range from a support group to a
peer-run program that provides one-on-one services. Peer support services
provide an opportunity for people with mental illnesses to direct their own
recovery and advocacy process, and to teach others the skills necessary to
lead meaningful lives in the community . Throughout the country, people with
mental illnesses are establishing peer support programs in order to expand
opportunities for successful recovery, shared growth and wellness. The members
of peer support programs assume personal accountability for their own treatment
based on a framework of respect, mutual agreement of what is helpful and shared
responsibility.
Mission
Peer support services help to restore a balance in the lives of people
with mental illnesses. This is the foundation upon which recovery is based.
Since recovery is such an important component of peer support services,
it is necessary to understand the goals of these services that enable
people with mental illnesses to live successfully in the community and
continue their journeys of recovery. Thus, peer support services:
- Foster individual growth, which includes making people feel
comfortable about themselves and developing an autonomous sense of
identity with the
help and support their peers.
- Establish a sense of self-determination
and self-empowerment for their recovery process.
- Encourage diversity
as individuals and in the recovery process.
- Empower consumers to
take control of their own recovery and advocacy, as well as to administer
support for other consumers in acquiring
and exercising the necessary skills for the management of their symptoms and
the utilization
of their community’s resources.
Types of Peer Support Services
While traditional support services are often crisis-driven, peer support
services can also emphasize prevention. Common and effective peer support
services include:
- Peer support groups allow people with mental illnesses to talk
openly about their mental illnesses, the challenges they face, and
their accomplishments
in a safe environment with other people with mental illnesses.
These groups help break down social isolation and establish a sense
of community. Peer
support groups can be topical such as groups for depression, bipolar
disorder and schizophrenia, or they can be more general such as groups
for people
with mental illnesses.
- Warm lines, similar to hotlines, serve as
telephone services to provide people with mental illnesses support
and information on a wide
variety of topics. Warm lines can be available 24-hours a day or during parts
of the
day, such as evenings, and are often staffed by people with mental
illnesses in order to provide peer support services over the phone.
- Drop-in
Centers are places where people with mental illnesses can go to socialize
with their peers. Many drop-in centers offer a wide
variety of activities in which people can participate. Consumers may serve
as employed
or volunteer staff at drop-in centers doing things such as
clerical work, cooking, or developing activity calendars.
- Housing and
Homeless services for people with mental illnesses are increasingly
being operated by consumers with the goal of getting people
with mental illnesses who are experiencing homelessness or who are near homelessness
into safe, decent, and affordable housing and services.
- Employment
assistance services often employ people with mental illnesses who
then help their peers find and retain employment.
Community Benefits
Peer support services offer many benefits within the community, including:
- Giving people the support and self-confidence they need to participate
as active members in the community.
- Serving to prevent people with
mental illnesses from needing crisis response services by providing
ongoing support and assistance;
- Working to eliminate negative stereotypes
and stigma surrounding mental illness; and
- Helping to improve the
community’s mental health system by giving
people the information and advocacy tools they need to create
systems change in the community;
Bringing Peer Support To Your Community
Peer
support programs are continuously being implemented in communities.
Unfortunately, a primary concern standing in the way of successful
implementation of such services is the issue of funding. Some peer
support programs receive
funding from charitable donations and membership fees. Other groups
and agencies are funded through federal agencies such as SAMHSA,
state departments
of mental health, offices of vocational rehabilitation or county
health boards . An emerging trend for funding peer support programs is
to bill Medicaid for peer support services.
Here are some recommended steps to bring peer support to your community:
- Assess the need for such services. Present the data to advocates,
people with mental illnesses, service providers, local politicians
and others who
will help to expand such services.
- Develop a coalition to focus on expanding peer support services
in the community.
- Work with consumer groups in the community to implement such
services.
- Educate community members about peer support services and their
value to people with mental illnesses and the community.
CONTACT INFORMATION
National Mental Health Association
2000 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone: 703/684-7722
Mental Health Resource Center800/969-NMHA
TTY Line: 800/433-5959
Web: www.nmha.org
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