Transcript Document 7202771

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Peer Support Workers
Linda Reid
Joyce Mouriki
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Delivering for Mental Health
Commitment
 Commitment 2 – We will have in place a
training programme for Peer Support workers
by 2008 with peer support workers being
employed in 3 Board areas later that year.
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What is peer support
Using personal knowledge and
experience of a particular issue to help
and support others who are experiencing
that same issue.
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Peer support and recovery?
 Modelling recovery
 Importance of support from peers regularly cited
 Long standing demands for greater user involvement
in services
 Employs people with experience of mental health
problems
 Gives an opportunity to contribute and ‘give back’
 Powerful empathetic relationship
 Can promote better engagement and outcomes
 Impact on wider culture in service
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Role and function
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Partly defined by setting (options)
‘Model’ recovery and describe recovery process
Use own recovery story in work
Opportunity for service users to direct own care and recovery
processes
Social and emotional support
Based on developing knowledge of elements of recovery
Ensure a forward looking wellness focus using recovery tools
and techniques (WRAP?)
Advanced statements
Particular role in transitions?
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Edinburgh PSW
To assist service users to establish
and maintain a meaningful and
fulfilling life in the community, by
being a role model/ facilitator using
own ‘lived experience’ of recovery.
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(EPSW) Responsibilities (extract)
 To establish a supportive relationship with each service
user, enabling them to maximise their own resources in
order to improve their quality of life.
 To deliver support as part of a support and recovery plan
agreed with the service user, the referring agency, and
Penumbra.
 To share/teach coping and self management techniques.
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(EPSW)Requirements
Experience
 Personal experience of recovery from mental health problems
 Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role
Skills
Ability to share personal story of recovery in a professional manner
Personal Qualities
 Non Judgmental
 respectful
Values and attitudes
 Belief that people can and do recover form mental health
problems
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(EPSW) Personal Attributes
 Positive attitude towards mental health
professionals
 Like working with a variety of people, and have
an appreciation of individuals’ unique values
 Good interpersonal skills, particularly the
ability to be warm and empathetic
 Respectful of another person’s right to refuse
help or change
 Ability to learn and work in a team setting
Source: Surrey Community Services 2005
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The added value to peer recipients
 Empathy “Been through the same as you”
 Mentoring “Can guide you according to their
experience”
 Trust Shared language and culture
 Equality of relationship
 Instil hope and self belief
 Doing something for themselves, not having
some-thing done to them
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The added value to peer provider
 Increase in self esteem
 Empowerment
 Opportunity to develop skills and use
experience
 Helper principle
 Employment
 Mutual relationship with peers
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The added value to organisation
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Promoting Change
Learning
Change mindset. Change values
“Putting money where mouth is” – with
regard to involvement
 Expand the range of services
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The impact
Studies suggest
 Larger social support networks
 Gains in quality of life and well being
 Enhanced self esteem and social functioning
 As effective, or more effective, than non-peer
provided services
 Reduced hospitalisation
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Concerns
 Role conflict, professionals’ anxieties
 Dual roles, especially as worker and
service user
 Boundaries
 Confidentiality
 Shift of the locus of control
 Ensuring user leadership
 Stressful nature of the role
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Challenge
 You have a peer support worker joining your team,
ward or service next month.
 How would you ensure they were supported/
enabled to make the most impact?
 How might you address current staff concerns?
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Overcoming concerns
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Planning in partnership
Clarity of role (negotiated job descriptions)
Agreed procedures and policies
Training for peers
Support and supervision
Supportive organisation and team
Open dialogue, training for team, organisational
development interventions
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SE to use Meta accredited courses
Content
 16 Modules
 3 Sections:
- Knowing Yourself
recovery, self esteem and self talk, meaning and purpose
- Preparing Yourself for Work
telling your story,employment as a path to recovery
- Skills Development
communication skills,conflict resolution, listening skills,
challenging situations
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Making it work
1. “Services must be aligned with
consumer/service user objectives”
2. “Administrators and clinicians must “buy-in”
to the recovery philosophy. Typical efforts to
elicit this buy-in include exhortation,
training, and organisational development
interventions”. Sabin and Daniels, 2003.
3. Services must commit resources for the
long term