Peer support – the what, why, who, how and now

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline what peer support is, covering its history, variations and benefits, then goes on to discuss what the challenges have been to authenticity and what the future holds for peer support. Design/methodology/approach – The authors argue for the necessity of service user leadership in peer support based on both the Service User Involvement Directorate’s (SUID’s) experience and UK-wide learning. Findings – Peer support brings wellbeing and confidence benefits both to the supporter and the supported. However, the lack of understanding of what peer support is, the current climate of austerity and over-professionalisation can threaten the transformational power of genuine peer support. Research limitations/implications – Peer support is always evolving, and there are areas like the criminal justice service and secure services where more work needs to be done. Practical implications – Commissioners/funders of mental health services should recognise the value of peer support and its potential for better wellbeing outcomes, while understanding the necessity of service user leadership to maximise its beneficial potential. Originality/value – The paper looks at peer support at the point in time a decade after the formation of the SUID at Together and four years since the UK mental health strategy No Health Without Mental Health (Department of Health, 2011) and explores the challenges faced at a time when the value of peer support is generally accepted in legislation.

Understanding consumers’ initial expectations of community‐based residential mental health rehabilitation in the context of past experiences of care: A mixed‐methods pragmatic grounded theory analysis

“…The possibility that availability of formal peer support under the integrated staffing model inhibits informal peer support from developing also needs to be considered. The value of the professionalization of a peer workforce remains unresolved (Beales & Wilson ), and it is important to acknowledge the risk that formalizing peer ‘work’ may limit the development of naturalistic support networks sustainable beyond the service context. Further research is warranted to explore the impact of increased availability of formal peer support on the role of informal peer support in residential care.…”

“We’re stronger if we work together”: experiences of naturally occurring peer support in an inpatient setting

“…At one end of the spectrum, it occurs naturally in informal interactions between individuals; at the other end, it occurs in formal programmes or services delivered by paid peer support workers. Whatever the form, at its core is the premise that individuals who have gone through similar difficulties can help each other by virtue of their 'lived experience': they can understand each other's distress, share skills and knowledge, instil hope and challenge stigma (Beales & Wilson, 2015;Faulkner & Basset, 2012;Stratford et al, 2017).…”

“…Although peer support in mental health originated in grassroots movements of service-users coming together, recent decades have seen an enormous growth (and corresponding research interest) in structured peer support programmes, particularly the employment of peer support workers in mental health services (Chinman et al, 2014;Gillard et al, 2015;Lloyd-Evans et al, 2014). While such programmes have many benefits, they also run the risk of peer support becoming 'professionalised' (Beales & Wilson, 2015;Stamou, 2014) and of a loss of integrity regarding its core values (Stratford et al, 2017). It is important that professionals do not lose sight of support that occurs without their involvement.…”

Ver-rückte Expertisen

“…(Faulkner et al 2013, 6) Diese Definition der englischen Erfahrungsexpertin und Survivor 4 -Forscherin Alison Faulkner und ihrer Mitautorinnen umreißt den Personenkreis, der für die Tätigkeit als Peer-Arbeiter infrage kommt: Es handelt sich um Personen, die selbst Unterstützung auf Basis ihrer gelebten Erfahrung (siehe für genauer Ausführungen Kapitel 3.2.1, S. 102) in und mit psychiatrischen Kontexten bieten können. Wie in nahezu allen anderen Definitionen von Peer Support wird ein fundamentaler Bezug zu gelebter Erfahrung hergestellt, seine Implikationen bleiben indes meist unklar (Dixon, Krauss und Lehman 1994;Mead 2003;Beales und Wilson 2015;Davidson 2015;Asad und Chreim 2016;Rebeiro Gruhl, Lacarte und Calixte 2016). Faulkner und Mitautoren betonten in ihrer Definition, dass Peer-Unterstützung zunächst eine reziproke Beziehung ist, in der nicht festgelegt ist, in welche Richtung die Ver-rückte Expertisen Unterstützung verläuft -es gibt also keine eindeutige Unterscheidung in Behandlerinnen und Behandelte.…”

“…Die Geschichte informeller Peer-Unterstützung reicht -der offenen Definition dieses Begriffs entsprechend -bis in die Zeit der ersten Asyle zurück (Beales und Wilson 2015). Im Zentrum meiner Dissertation steht jedoch die institutionalisierte und professionalisierte Peer-Arbeit in (teil-)stationärer Versorgung in Deutschland.…”