A Systematic Review of the Roles and Contributions of Peer Providers in the Behavioral Health Workforce

Gaiser, Maria; Buche, Jessica; Wayment, Caitlyn; Schoebel, Victoria; Smith, Judith E.; Chapman, Susan; Beck, Angela J.

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2021.03.025

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Peer providers with intellectual/developmental disabilities may have different experiences than those without or with different disabilities due to their distinct life experiences and differences in role responsibilities and settings. For example, peer-provided services for people without intellectual/developmental disabilities occur in a range of settings (e.g., large service organisations, Veteran's Affairs services, clubhouses, community health centres; Gaiser et al, 2021), but to date, such services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities have been constrained to academic research. Further, individuals with intellectual/ developmental disabilities may have never had opportunities to take on leadership roles or have models of an individual with their diagnosis in leadership positions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Being a part of something’: Experiences and perceived benefits of young adult peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions

Loeper

Schwartz

2023

Research Intellect Disabil

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BackgroundPeer‐provided services are a common model for addressing mental health concerns. Peer providers report a range of benefits and challenges associated with their role. However, there is little information about the experiences of peer providers with intellectual/developmental disabilities.AimTo explore the experiences of young adult peer‐providers with intellectual/developmental disabilities in the context of a mental health intervention.MethodsWe conducted interviews with four young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their parents and teachers to understand their experiences providing a peer mentoring mental health intervention.ResultsYoung adult peer mentors perceived themselves as responsible for maintaining the mentoring relationship, delivering the intervention and acting as helpers and independent professionals. The experiences of young adult peer mentors were driven by the temporal, institutional and social contexts of their work. Peer mentoring was an enjoyable, social activity. Mentors, parents and teachers emphasised how taking on the peer mentoring role during the transition to adulthood and within the capital‐rich university context led to a sense of pride and professional development. Further, these contexts may have led mentors to emphasise their intervention‐delivery, helper and professional roles over relationship maintenance.Discussion & conclusionContext may shape the perceived roles and benefits for young adult peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

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confidence: 99%

‘Being a part of something’: Experiences and perceived benefits of young adult peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions

Loeper

Schwartz

2023

Research Intellect Disabil

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“…Further, we found many papers concerning multidisciplinary teams. Peer supporters ( 29 , 30 , 47 , 48 , 51 , 53 ), occupational therapists ( 44 , 50 ), and nurses ( 34 ) are frequently mentioned as important disciplines in a multidisciplinary team, besides the regular disciplines of psychologists, psychiatrists, and social psychiatric care workers. Peer supporters have been a part of the (F)ACT teams for more than our searched 10 years ( 87 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current insights of community mental healthcare for people with severe mental illness: A scoping review

et al. 2023

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BackgroundFor the last four decades, there has been a shift in mental healthcare toward more rehabilitation and following a more humanistic and comprehensive vision on recovery for persons with severe mental illness (SMI). Consequently, many community-based mental healthcare programs and services have been developed internationally. Currently, community mental healthcare is still under development, with a focus on further inclusion of persons with enduring mental health problems. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of existing and upcoming community mental healthcare approaches to discover the current vision on the ingredients of community mental healthcare.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review by systematically searching four databases, supplemented with the results of Research Rabbit, a hand-search in reference lists and 10 volumes of two leading journals. We included studies on adults with SMI focusing on stimulating independent living, integrated care, recovery, and social inclusion published in English between January 2011 and December 2022 in peer-reviewed journals.ResultsThe search resulted in 56 papers that met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed ingredients in 12 areas: multidisciplinary teams; collaboration within and outside the organization; attention to several aspects of health; supporting full citizenship; attention to the recovery of daily life; collaboration with the social network; tailored support; well-trained staff; using digital technologies; housing and living environment; sustainable policies and funding; and reciprocity in relationships.ConclusionWe found 12 areas of ingredients, including some innovative topics about reciprocity and sustainable policies and funding. There is much attention to individual ingredients for good community-based mental healthcare, but very little is known about their integration and implementation in contemporary, fragmented mental healthcare services. For future studies, we recommend more empirical research on community mental healthcare, as well as further investigation(s) from the social service perspective, and solid research on general terminology about SMI and outpatient support.

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“…Without overlooking VSOs’ varying definitions and responsibilities for peers (e.g., peer provider, peer mentor), peers are typically fellow veterans with similar lived experiences of trauma, addiction, or other mental health issues who are further along in their recovery and can offer hope, empathy, role modeling, problem-solving, fellowship, or other forms of emotional or instrumental support. A growing evidence base indicates peer support can play a vital role in reducing mental health symptoms, substance abuse, suicide risk, as well as enhancing coping, functioning, and quality of life (for reviews, see Chinman et al, 2014; Drebing et al, 2018; Gaiser et al, 2021; Pfeiffer et al, 2019). However, these studies mostly focused on utilizing peers in hospitals and clinics for the sake of improving outcomes of clinical interventions.…”

Section: Spirituality Religiousness and Moral Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the outcomes and acceptability of a peer-led spiritual intervention for moral injury in a veteran service organization.

Currier¹,

McDermott²,

Fernandez³

et al. 2024

Psychological Services

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The purpose of this proof-of-concept study was to examine the outcomes and acceptability of a spiritual intervention for moral injury led by veteran peers in a Veteran Service Organization (VSO), called "Heroes to Heroes." From baseline to 1-year follow-up, 101 veterans who participated in the intervention completed the evaluation surveys at four time points assessing psychological outcomes (moral injury, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms, and life satisfaction), spiritual outcomes (spiritual struggles and spiritual transcendence), and their perceived helpfulness of the program. In addition, we conducted four focus groups with six to eight alumni to more fully understand veterans' views and experiences of the program. Focusing on the longitudinal surveys, latent growth modeling analyses revealed veterans generally improved across the psychological and spiritual outcomes in the study. Specifically, veterans reported steady decreases in moral injury outcomes, PTSD symptoms, and spiritual struggles along with increased life satisfaction and spiritual transcendence over the 1-year period. An inductive content analysis of veterans' responses to open-ended items in the surveys and focus group interviews revealed four possible mechanisms or facilitators of these outcomes: (a) social connectivity and belonging (e.g., shared vulnerability and camaraderie); (b) behavioral engagement in core aspects of their spirituality (e.g., sacred practices and visiting sacred places); (c) spiritual transformation and growth (e.g., closeness with God and divine forgiveness); and (d) appreciation for diversity (e.g., religious and military). Overall, these findings affirm the potential effectiveness and acceptability of the VSO's peer-led spiritual intervention for promoting the holistic healing among veterans who are contending with emotional and spiritual wounds of war. Impact StatementMilitary veterans who participated in the peer-led spiritual intervention, on average, improved on psychological and spiritual outcomes assessed over the 1-year period. In addition, qualitative findings suggested that these improvements might be attributed to increased social connectivity and belonging, behavioral engagement in core aspects of spirituality, spiritual transformation and growth, and appreciation for cultural diversity.

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A Systematic Review of the Roles and Contributions of Peer Providers in the Behavioral Health Workforce

Cited by 26 publications

References 34 publications

‘Being a part of something’: Experiences and perceived benefits of young adult peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions

‘Being a part of something’: Experiences and perceived benefits of young adult peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions

Current insights of community mental healthcare for people with severe mental illness: A scoping review

Examining the outcomes and acceptability of a peer-led spiritual intervention for moral injury in a veteran service organization.

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