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CPS Blog: National Recovery Month - How Peer Support Fits the Recovery Model

The recovery model in mental health care is centered on the belief that individuals with mental health conditions can lead full, rewarding, self-directed lives. It focuses on an individual’s strengths and places trust in them to take an active role in their treatment, valuing them as an expert in their own experiences. Peer support is an effective and essential element of recovery-oriented mental health systems. 

The essence of peer support is to spark hope and support individuals in reaching long-term recovery. Peers act as role models, demonstrating what life in recovery looks like. When individuals in crisis interact with someone who has faced similar challenges and is now thriving, they can see themselves living in recovery as well. 

The world of peer support focuses beyond symptoms; instead of striving for full symptom resolution, it emphasizes resilience and building skills so individuals can live meaningful lives in their communities. Peers advocate for the care of people - not a checklist of symptoms. 

Peer support is rooted in civil rights and humane treatment. Defining people by their diagnosis or acting as though their mental health challenges control them denies those individuals the opportunity to recover. By modeling recovery and advocating for the importance of a person-centered approach to care, peer support specialists can make a real difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health challenges. 

September is National Recovery Month, a SAMHSA sponsored initiative to increase public understanding of mental health and substance use conditions and celebrate people who recover. Learn more about Recovery Month and check out SAMHSA’s 2019 Toolkit.