PEER SUPPORT

What is an Intensive Support Peer Support Worker?

Intensive Support Peer Support Workers use their personal lived experience of mental health recovery to support people who are on their journey of recovery (people). Peer Support Workers communicate their stories skilfully and work with other mental health and community professionals to support people’s recovery.

Peer Support Workers offer guidance and coaching to people who might be struggling with their mental health. Peer Support Workers have personal experience managing mental health conditions and use their recovery as an inspiration for others. Peer Support Workers usually interact with people one-on-one or in group sessions to discuss challenges or any issues that might have. 

How Intensive Support Peer Support Workers Help

Intensive Support Peer Support Workers can help people with a range of mental health conditions that affect mood and behaviour. Usually, they have experience with one particular condition, so they can offer tailored information. A Peer Support Worker may work with people with whom they have things in common. These could be particular symptoms, demographics or interests. For example, a Peer Support Worker who enjoys cooking could work with a person who also enjoys cooking. Here, the peer worker could encourage the person to cook more as part of their mental health recovery.

The Intensive Support Peer Support Workers have several hard and soft skills including knowledge of mental health, compassion, and honesty.

Understanding of mental health

Intensive Support Peer Support Workers have an understanding of mental health. A Peer Support Worker may have experienced the same condition as the person, so they can offer their own personal advice. For example, if they have lived with and recovered from anxiety, they may use their own experiences of practical factors that relieved their feelings when talking with people. They may have also studied the condition, including the science behind it and offer practical advice based on this.

Compassion

Peer Support Workers have compassion. They typically empathise with people and understand the difficult situations that they face. Often, they have encountered a similar experience or symptoms, allowing them to empathise with people and show compassion.

Honesty

The Peer Support Workers speak honestly about mental health and some challenges that they have experienced firsthand. They discuss uncomfortable subjects with their people when necessary. They may also be realistic about the time that it takes to recover. They can practice honesty by showing accountability.

Attention to detail

Peer Support Workers may have a keen attention to detail when speaking to their people. While they may keep some things confidential, if a person worries them, they may wish to tell them about it. They may use attention to detail skills to pick up on small things that could show if somebody could benefit from further help.