The 3 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Peer Support
Interested in becoming a peer supporter?
Here are the 3 most frequently asked questions about peer support.
What does it mean to have lived experience?
Lived experience is a requirement for the practice of peer support. The insight that results from lived experience is a gift that a peer supporter leverages to connect with and provide emotional and social support to others experiencing a similar challenge.
This lived experience includes the peer supporter’s experience with their specific challenge and, more importantly, their path towards wellness.
A family-based peer supporter’s lived experience is centered around the support offered to a loved one who is experiencing a mental health and/or addiction challenge and the difficulties they may experience from being in that support role. . It might include a better understanding of the impact of their loved one’s experience, reaching a greater acceptance, and acquiring a sense of hope for their loved one.
Lived experience often references one’s experience with mental health challenges and/or addiction. It can also include a variety of other life experiences such as acute or chronic illnesses, grief and loss, divorce, careers and so on. Peer supporters connect with individuals based on their shared experiences.
What is the time commitment for peer supporters?
You can devote as little or as much time as you can. If you are going to be a paid peer supporter, the number of hours you work will most likely be pre-determined for you by the organization that hires you.
When you volunteer as a peer supporter, things become more complex. Individuals can work full-time and volunteer as a peer supporter for a few hours per week or month, depending on their schedule. Some organizations may require a minimum time commitment from volunteer peer supporters or will be able to provide you with an estimate of the likely time commitment.
Regardless of your schedule, there is usually a role that can fit the time you have available, which is a good thing because the world needs all the peer supporters it can get!
When or how does peer support occur?
Peer support occurs when an individual intentionally utilizes their lived experience and their journey to wellness to provide emotional and social support to someone experiencing a similar life experience. This lived experience can be with a mental health and/or addiction challenge, a similar career role or difficult life event.
Peer support is not based on psychiatric models and diagnostic criteria. It is about understanding another’s situation empathically, through the shared lived experience.
Download this helpful guide:
Deconstructing Peer Support: When it is peer support and when it isn’t