Peer Support FAQs

Mental health has become one of the defining challenges of our time and the solution isn’t always found in a therapist’s office. Increasingly, organizations are discovering that peer support — connecting employees through shared experience — is transforming the culture of care inside Canada’s workplaces.

Submit your question

Implementing Programs

Imagine if every person in your organization had access to an individual who could understand them on a level deeper than they ever thought possible. The power of formalized peer support in the workplace is endless.

Scaling peer support across multiple sites can be complex, and while it is achievable, it requires careful planning and structure. At MHI, we have implemented peer support programs nationally for large organizations, and one of the most effective ways to maintain authenticity at scale is to establish a strong governance structure within the organization.
This governance body should include leaders, subject matter experts, and frontline employees who preferably have lived experience and who are credible and well-respected within the organization. These individuals must be empowered to speak truth to power and to contribute meaningfully to decisions that shape the program. This helps ensure that the initiative remains grounded in the realities of the workplace and that leadership stays closely connected to what is happening on the ground.
Scaling across a wide geographic area can be challenging, but so can scaling across multiple business divisions with distinct operational realities. Each division may have different needs, work environments, and cultures that require tailored approaches. For example, as discussed during the webinar, NAV Canada has operations that span airports, runway maintenance, technical services, and office environments, each requiring a different lens for implementation. Ensuring equitable access across all areas of an organization is essential to achieving meaningful reach and impact.
Further insights on this topic were provided by our panelist, Mary Ann Baynton, in Episode 1:
“Some organizations just said to one employee, ‘okay, you can be a peer supporter,’ with no training, no time, no supervision, no structure. They set them up to fail.
When a peer supporter is properly trained, they reduce risk and improve performance and retention. If you want the benefits, invest up front in understanding what it takes to make it effective.”
The landscape for peer support is becoming increasingly noisy as more organizations recognize the growing demand for this kind of service. However, not everything being marketed as peer support truly meets the definition. At MHI, we have observed a wide range of offerings that use the term “peer support,” but often differ greatly in purpose, structure, and approach.
For example, Together All is a web-based platform that allows people to post and share experiences related to their mental health or substance use challenges. While this type of platform can foster a sense of connection, it is not real-time, not workplace-specific, and not integrated into a particular ecosystem. Similarly, Peer On Call is an app rather than a full program. It can be an excellent tool to complement an existing peer support program, but it does not replace the need for a structured, well-governed initiative.
Mental Health First Aid, while valuable, is not a peer support program either. It is a form of education designed to help individuals recognize signs of distress using diagnostic terminology such as depression or anxiety. It increases awareness but does not train people to provide peer support in a structured or sustained way.
Organizations that wish to implement peer support should ensure that what they are deploying truly aligns with the core principles of peer support, including safety, structure, training, and integration within their workplace culture.
Our panelist Mary Ann Baynton, from episode 1, shared an excellent resource that may help organizations assess and differentiate what genuine peer support is and what it is not. The resource, available through Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, can be accessed here: https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/resources/peer-support-programs
There are several sources of information available on best practices for implementing peer support programs, including guidance from national standards and workplace mental health resources. However, implementation is often highly context-dependent, and what works well in one organization or sector may not directly translate to another.
At MHI, we have spent decades supporting organizations across Canada in the design, selection, and implementation of peer support programs. While many organizations provide peer support training, our approach places particular emphasis on ensuring that the right individuals are selected to serve as peer supporters. To do this, we use a psychometric selection process that helps identify candidates whose competencies and behavioral indicators align with the qualities needed to provide safe, credible, and effective peer support within the workplace.
We believe that this level of rigor has been a key factor in the success and sustainability of the programs we have helped implement. For more information about our approach to peer support, including program design, selection, and training, please visit supportyourpeople.com.
Peer support is not the right fit for every leader or every organization, and that is completely okay. In our experience, leaders generally fall into three broad approaches when it comes to workplace mental health: those who focus primarily on awareness, those who lean toward a clinical model, and those who choose to rehumanize their approach.
For leaders who find themselves in the rehumanizing category, peer support tends to resonate deeply. These are the leaders who see mental health not as a liability or a problem to be fixed, but as an opportunity to strengthen connection, trust, and compassion within their teams. They recognize that structured peer support creates a living culture of care where employees help one another early, authentically, and without stigma.
For other leaders, awareness campaigns or clinical supports may feel like the right fit, and those have their place too. But for those ready to rehumanize their approach, peer support offers one of the most tangible ways to bring humanity back into the workplace.
For a deeper exploration of these three approaches and why rehumanizing workplace mental health can be transformative, you can read the full article here:
3 Approaches to Workplace Mental Health and the One All Leaders Should Consider — Mental Health Innovations

Peer Support Training

Talking about mental health isn’t enough. People need the skills and tools required to engage in supportive conversations.

There are several organizations across Canada offering peer support training, and while this is a positive sign of growth in the field, it also means that training quality and focus can vary greatly. At MHI, we strongly recommend that any organization seeking training ensures that the content is aligned with the National Standard of Practice for Peer Support in Canada. This standard provides the necessary foundation for ethical, safe, and effective practice, regardless of the setting.
When selecting a training provider, it is also important to seek references from organizations with similar goals and environments. Training designed for community-based or non-profit settings can differ significantly from training tailored to workplace audiences, where factors such as confidentiality, performance, and leadership relationships play a much greater role.
The selected training organization should also be able to develop role plays and scenarios that are directly relevant to the workplace or organizational challenges that peer supporters will encounter. This ensures that participants can meaningfully apply their learning to real-world situations they may face once the program is in place.
Equally important, the education approach should be grounded in adult learning principles, balancing didactic instruction with experiential, hands-on practice. Peer support training is not about passive learning; it requires participants to engage, reflect, and build confidence through applied exercises that simulate real conversations and challenges.
MHI has provided peer support training across multiple sectors, including healthcare, public safety, government, and corporate environments. Our programs are built to reflect the realities of each workplace while staying firmly grounded in national best practices.
If you are interested in learning more about our training programs, you can visit supportyourpeople.com.
Mary Ann Baynton shared something relevant, during episode 1, relevant to this question: “Any employee who wants to take that training — even if you don’t have a formal program — should be supported. It builds resilience and is good leadership training.”
This blog is a few years old but covers results from MHI’s Trg : The Uncensored Truth; How Participants Rate MHI’s Peer Support Skills Training — Mental Health Innovations
This is an excellent and important question, as the distinction between peer support workers and professionally trained recovery coaches can sometimes appear subtle but is quite significant in practice.
A peer support worker is someone who offers support based on shared lived experience of mental health or substance use challenges. The foundation of their role is mutuality, empathy, and connection. They are not positioned as experts or clinicians but as equals who walk alongside others, providing understanding, hope, and practical support rooted in their own journey of recovery. Their effectiveness lies in the authenticity and trust that come from lived experience, guided by training aligned with the National Standard of Practice for Peer Support in Canada.
A recovery coach, on the other hand, typically brings a more structured, goal-oriented approach. Recovery coaches may or may not have lived experience, and their focus is often on helping individuals set and achieve recovery-related goals. They use motivational techniques, accountability frameworks, and coaching methodologies to help people navigate treatment options, access resources, and sustain recovery. The relationship is less reciprocal and more directional, where the coach serves as a guide or facilitator of progress.
In essence, peer support is relationship-based, while recovery coaching is outcome-based. Both can play valuable and complementary roles within a system of care, but it is important for organizations to be clear about the purpose and scope of each.
Dr McIntosh, speaker in episode 1, added something very relevant to this questions when she stated : “Peer support does not replace trained healthcare professionals. It’s an augmentation strategy — a human connection that helps people recognize when they need more formal care and move toward it.”
MHI has not conducted a formal analysis of the broader market for peer support training, but our understanding is that most programs in Canada are generally priced below one thousand dollars per participant. Costs can vary depending on factors such as duration, delivery format, and the degree of customization required.
At MHI, our core Peer Support Training program includes approximately 24 hours of facilitated learning, delivered either in-person or virtually by two experienced facilitators. This training is preceded by a short online e-learning module that introduces the principles and foundations of peer support, ensuring that participants begin the course with a shared understanding of key concepts.
For larger organizations that need to train multiple cohorts, economies of scale can significantly reduce the per-person cost. Once the initial customization, scenario development, and preparation work are completed, these investments continue to benefit all subsequent cohorts. For example, in a recent case where MHI delivered training across four cohorts, totaling approximately 160 participants, the per-person cost fell well below one thousand dollars due to the efficiencies gained through scale.
Overall, pricing depends on the organization’s goals, size, and context, but peer support training should be viewed as a strategic investment in building a psychologically safe and supportive workplace culture.
Mary Ann Baynton, from episode 1, added: “When I think about the cost, it was not more than going for a day of resilience training — which wasn’t even relevant for someone living with a mental illness. It’s a great investment in many ways.”

Submit your questions about Peer Support: