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Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

DaisydreamerSenior Contributor04 May 2021, 3:01 pm AEST

Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Hi SANE Forums Community 👋

This fortnight we are excited to welcome a special guest from the SANE Peer Support Team @Former-Member! 🎉 On the 11th of May we will be talking about all things peer support!

The role of peer support in recovery:

Peer support is all about sharing experiences and building supportive relationships with others who understand what you are going through because they have been there before.

Often peers are in the best position to be a support to each other because they have skills, strengths and knowledge learnt from the experiences of living with mental health concerns or from caring for a family member or friend. The insights that you have can be of benefit to others when they are provided in a space that allows for shared learning. It's a two way street that allows all people to learn and grow with peers.

Over the last 12 months, SANE has been growing the focus on peer support with the introduction of peer workers into the forums, and new peer support programs. @Former-Member is here to answer your questions about peer support, and explore why peer support is an important part of the recovery journey for thousands of Australians.

Please join us here on Tuesday the 11th of May 2021 from 7:00pm-8:30pm AEST to follow this conversation.

Want to receive a reminder on the night? Hit the 'Support' button below.

New to the forums or want to get involved in this discussion? Check out the How To Guide for Topic Tuesdays.

108 replies

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In response to: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

DaisydreamerSenior Contributor11 May 2021, 7:24 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Spot on @Adge 🙂 You would be an amazing peer support worker

In response to: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Unknown userMember11 May 2021, 7:24 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

@Ophelia for myself, I needed to have come a certain way in my own recovery before I was able to safely and effectively take on a peer supporter role.

I like how it is worded here:

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

DaisydreamerSenior Contributor11 May 2021, 7:26 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

It sounds like we have all come back to similar words and themes; peer support is based on shared experiences, and is about a mutual relationship and connection. There's a shared power in the relationships that peer support builds, where we can all learn and grow together.

@Former-Member Q2: What makes peer support different to other types of mental health supports?

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Zoe7Senior Contributor11 May 2021, 7:29 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

With peer support we have a knowledge that who we are connecting with has also been through similar experiences and understand much of what we are dealing with. Empathy therefore is personally acquired through mutual understanding and a shared knowledge of the reality we are in.

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Unknown userMember11 May 2021, 7:29 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Q2: What makes peer support different to other types of mental health supports?

Peer support is a really unique approach as it’s entirely non-clinical.

Unlike other mental health supports, a mutual lived experience of mental health challenges is the crucial part of peer support and that’s what makes it so powerful.

Having that interaction with people who are at a place in their recovery journeys where they are able to support others provides hope and empowerment to people who may be struggling.

It truly embeds recovery-orientation practice into and is completely person-centred, supporting people to plan their own recovery - I love it!

In response to: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

LongingtobelongContributor11 May 2021, 7:29 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Thanks so much @Daisydreamer. Very much looking forward to it!

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

AdgeSenior Contributor11 May 2021, 7:30 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Hi @Former-Member I'm Glad to see you too.

& @Shaz51 & @Zoe7 & @Former-Member

Including everyone who I haven't mentioned...

Thanks @Daisydreamer Very Heartwarming, what you said.

My working with & mentoring people in Disabilities/ Community Support work - has been similar to Peer Support.

Yet without the MH Focus/ perspective.

Adge

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Unknown userMember11 May 2021, 7:32 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

@Former-Member @chibam the discussion is happening here - can you see it ok?

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

Zoe7Senior Contributor11 May 2021, 7:32 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

@Former-Member Join in here

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

DaisydreamerSenior Contributor11 May 2021, 7:35 pm AEST

Re: Topic Tuesday // What peer support is and why it's great // Tues 11th May, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

@Zoe7 wrote:

With peer support we have a knowledge that who we are connecting with has also been through similar experiences and understand much of what we are dealing with. Empathy therefore is personally acquired through mutual understanding and a shared knowledge of the reality we are in.

It's a really powerful thing knowing that you are sitting with someone who gets it. @Zoe7 I would be really interested to hear about your first peer support experience. What was having that empathy and mutual understanding like for you? And did it differ from the feeling or impact of meeting other types of mental health supports?

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