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Peer Support Specialists' (PSS) lived experience differentiates them from other professionals as their lived experience is the foundation of both their expertise and services they provide. They focus on the here and now, not the past. They are people in recovery from a behavioral health condition (mental health, substance use, or co-occurring) who provides mentoring, guidance, and support services and offers their skills to others who are experiencing behavioral health challenges and receiving behavioral health services.
The Peer Support Specialist's role within the behavioral health system of care is to provide supportive services, working in conjunction with clinical treatment providers. While peer support services greatly enhance clinical services, they are not clinical in nature.
Peer Support Specialists perform a range of tasks to assist the person receiving services during the recovery process. Activities could include, but are not limited to, developing formal and informal supports, instilling confidence, assisting in the development of goals, serving as an advocate, mentor, or facilitator for resolution of issues and skills necessary to enhance and improve the health of a person with emotional, behavioral, or co-occurring disorders.
Peer Support Specialists inspire hope that people can and do recover. They walk with people on their recovery journeys. They cultivate relationships built on trust, respect, empathy, mutual experience, and choice.
They offer support through validation, encouragement, empowerment, and highlighting strengths. They dispel myths about what it means to have a mental health condition or substance use disorder. They provide self-help education about recovery, advocating for oneself, and how to navigate treatment or the healthcare system and link people to tools and resources.
They support people in identifying their goals, hopes, and dreams and creating a road map for getting there. They will listen to individuals talk about what they're experiencing. They can answer questions that individuals may have and give their insight into the issue, including warning signs that might indicate a person needs to seek additional help from a professional. This will help them understand that they are not alone in this battle.
Peer Support Specialists can help break down barriers of experience and understanding, as well as power dynamics that may get in the way of working with other members of the treatment team. The PSS's role is to assist people with finding and following their own recovery paths, without judgment, expectation, rules, or requirements.
Peer Support Specialists CAN and SHOULD assist the clinical process by performing such duties as: -identifying goals -assisting with treatment planning -life skills coaching -resource referral -conducting recovery groups and assisting with discharge planning.
Peer Support Specialists CANNOT provide clinical services such as: -therapy -medication management -psychosocial evaluations -diagnostic assessments -psychiatry services or conduct therapy groups.
While peer support does not substitute or replace treatment with a healthcare provider when it is needed, it can provide a unique layer of support. If you are interested in receiving peer support services, contact Together We Can. You can reach Becky at (515) 391-3233 or Deb at (641) 750-3292. You can also email us at twc50158@gmail.com or stop by 8 West Church Street. We would be more than happy to explain our services to you and get you set up. They are free of charge. Don't wait, contact us today!
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Becky Brown and Deb Williams
are the cofounders of Together We Can, a
mental health nonprofit based in Marshalltown.