Ask us anything about Peer Support Work

Hello @Daisydreamer

How many peer support workers do we have on Sane forumland ??

And also love reading the blogs created and written by the peer support workers xx

@Former-Member , @hanami , @TideisTurning , @Paperdaisy , @Former-Member , @Former-Member , @Former-Member

And others , love to hear more about your experiences xx

Thankyou for this.. great post! I will check these out 🙂

Hi @MDT

Do you know much about the peer work environment overseas ? UK for example?

Yes, similar to Australia, other countries such as USA, UK, New Zealand, Canada etc, have been growing their peer support workforces!

Interestingly, it's a widely misunderstood timeline for a Peer Workforce- a lot of people think that peer work is new, but the Peer Workforce has been around and growing since the 1990s (although language has changes so we were called things like "Consumer Consultant" "Patient Liaison" or "Consumer Representative"). However in recent times, it has grown in recognition of the value that peer support plays in the recovery journey, a big part in thanks to our amazing advocates, allies and lived experience researchers. I always find this interesting, that the grass roots of peer support (people supporting people) is first documented more than 300 years ago in France- it even pre-dates psychiatry. This is important because the history of peer work and peer support, tells us why it is becoming an international movement and changemaker in the mental health system... it is growing because peer work, works 🙂

In the USA, Peers are a really established and part of the mental health care system in America and can be accessed in the same way you would access a counsellor, psychiatrist or psychologist. They have a peak registration body similar to all other disciplines, which makes this possible. Here is an example of the National Practice Guidelines in America (NAPS is their registration body).

In the UK and Canada we are seeing peer work embedded across all areas of mental health service delivery, similar to Australia. Peers work in community settings, inpatient settings, in advocacy, not for profit, research etc. Having come from the youth peer support sector before SANE, there are some awesome examples of peer work out there. Jigsaw in the UK are doing awesome work in the youth peer support space for example. In a lot of places, countries are formalising their peer support with clearer guidance, standards and practice to ensure that peer work in consistently delivered to a high standard.

The last example I will share that is worth looking at are New Zealand examples. I met an amazing person working for an organisation called Te Pou. They have done a lot of work in developing competencies for Peer Work, that are applied by services in practice. Peer Work in New Zealand also looks similar to Australia, but they have some pretty incredible world leaders in their midst. Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training for example operates out New Zealand, and they are doing some amazing things in peer support.

Overall, Peer Work and more broadly, the Lived Experience Workforce, is really growing and developing significantly. We truly are the embodiment of recovery oriented practice, and in future I anticipate we will see more growth and development beyond frontline roles, to also see lived experience designated roles from Senior Leadership down in many organisations across the world (it's already beginning!)

@MDT Also, what was the biggest challenge/s you faced ?

I am going to tag my peer work colleagues to also answer this question if they would like to 🙂 @Paperdaisy @Former-Member @hanami @tyme

For me, the biggest challenge was one that I think is less relevant these days now the peer workforce is so much more established. When I first started in Peer Work, I was the only Peer Worker in my service, and no one knew my role or what it was all about. It meant I was often asked to do things that were outside the scope of my work, our outside of my practice. I found being really clear about what Peer Work is (and what it isn't) really helped me educate and have conversations with other mental health workers about the benefits of peer support. It also helped to clarify how my role could be beneficial to them too within the multidisciplinary team.

Second, was managing my boundaries and self care. Because we bring so much of ourselves into the workplace, it can mean that we are exposed to things that might come close to our story, or bring up triggers. As all the Peer Workers and Community Guides can attest to, I talk about self care and boundaries a lot, because it is the number one thing that will sustain you as a peer worker in this industry long term. For those who are thinking about peer work, have a think about what you want to share and what parts of your story are just for you. While we share and connect, we get to decide what those boundaries to ensure that our stories are safe for us to tell, and safe for the other person to hear 🙂

@MDT Can you land a job with the advocacy course you linked?

Yes you can. At the moment, many organisations do not require you to have prior experience or training (while they might deem it desirable). Many organisations might include a caveat that you would need to complete or be working towards the Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work within your first year of employment

I was called an "enabler" the other day and I had to go and look it up to understand what the person was talking about. As a peer worker, do you find that there are new terms and trends all the time you need to keep up with?

Do you feel that being a peer worker is a career or do you feel like it needs to a be stepping stone as doing it for too long can be detrimental to your own health?

How do you feel when someone makes you out to be the enemy because your part of the "system"?

How many peer support workers do we have on Sane forumland?? @Shaz51

Great question! So here at SANE we currently have 13 Peer Workers (including Peer Worker Managers) on services. At the moment, we have 4 peer workers who are on Forums as their main role, and other peer workers who jump in from time to time.

Our workforce on the Forums is going to grow significantly over the next few months, so you will see some more regular peer workers around soon 🙂

Awesome questions @Gwynn! I am sure our peer support team will also have a few answers for these when they are back online after some training these next couple of weeks 🙂 @Former-Member @Paperdaisy @tyme @hanami

I can certainly answer these from my experiences as a peer worker the last 11 years, but every person will have a different answer to these questions 🙂 I invite Community Guides to answer these too 🙂

I will probably approach these from a more systemic lens (because Peer Workforce planning and development is where my more recent experience is 🙂 ) It will be a long response, because these questions are so brilliant they deserve a deep response!

What's been the most surprising aspect of peer work for you?

I think the most surprising aspect of peer work for me, is how much doing this work has supported my recovery. Peer work is reciprocal, and even in a peer work role, I learn something new everyday from others I work with that I can apply to my recovery. It also has given me a really strong purpose and helped me to make meaning of all the things that have happened in my life- flipped them to be a strength that can help me to support others.

Also, just how many pathways there are for a career in peer work. More and more opportunities are opening up in the Lived Experience Workforce that gives us options to make peer work a long term career with development pathways 🙂 SANE is certainly an example of this and it makes me feel hopeful about the future of mental health services.

How do you overcome challenges that you face during the course of your work?

Every organisation that employs peer workers has a duty to ensure that there is safety in the workplace, and supports in place to ensure the wellbeing of peer workers in the role. There certainly can be challenges, in particular we talk about self care and wellbeing when supporting others, and I see it as both a personal responsibility and organisation responsibility to ensure that the environment for peer work is safe and supportive. For example, here at SANE we have external supervision, reflective practice, regular debriefing, weekly 1:1s with our managers, daily team check ins and wellbeing plans. All of those things help us to ensure we are looking after ourselves in the peer work role, and to encourage each other.

Every peer support environment will have its own challenges, and working with a manager and the employer to explore the supports you might need in the workplace is really important. The National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines can be a good tool for you to have these conversations with services about how to establish a supported peer workforce 🙂

There also can be systemic challenges in the role too given a lot of services are still in early stages of considering, implementing or growing a peer workforce, so finding an employer who really understands and is invested in Peer Work is really important! 🙂 Allies make a world of difference

How do you go about advocating for reasonable accomodations for your mental health?

Reasonable adjustments are really important for the success of a Peer Workforce. There are times in my recovery where I have had to advocate for workplace adjustments to ensure my wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others in my role. Number 1; find an ally whether it be a manager or colleague in the organisation who supports you. Number 2; Talk with HR about the process. Number 3; know your workplace rights and seek advice if you need it.

A lot of organisations are still working out workplace adjustments, and many places who already have established peer workforces will have had these conversations before. You can also have a support person in meetings with HR should you wish!

Do you find that you burn out more because you're working closely with mental illness all the time?

Burn out can happen in Peer Work, and I think it really comes down to how we maintain our wellbeing, self care and supports, and how the organisation does. There is a shared responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of peer workers.

I was involved in research looking at burnout in Peer Work a few years back with some interesting findings; https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02688-9
There are lots of things we can do, the employer can do, and more broadly systemic work that needs to be done to support peer workers.

For me, managing burnout has been a learning process. I can't say I always get it right, even 11 years on, but every situation I learn from and make change to manage my wellbeing in the workplace, and ensure that I have the resources I need to be a peer worker, and to ensure my mental health is not impacted in the process.