Peers Across Settings: Why Peer Support?
Peer support services are rapidly expanding across the U.S. and for good reason. The evidence-based practice has been shown to improve quality of life, overall health, and engagement with services, all while reducing the use of expensive and disruptive high levels of care.
Peer support specialists are able to connect with individuals because they have been there themselves. They combine their lived experience with skills strengthened by training and knowledge of systems and resources. Their focus on recovery, resilience, wellness, and connection has been changing lives for decades and continues to transform a system that too often fails consumers.
Peers are an essential component of recovery-oriented services across the continuum of care. From inpatient psychiatric units to emergency departments to drop-in centers, peers are a crucial part of the growing focus on services that engage people, promote recovery, and aim to support people in living full lives in the community.
As demand for peer support services grows throughout health care, it is important to discuss the role and work of peers across settings. This email series, based on MHA’s Peer Support Across Settings Toolkit, provides an overview of problems in each level of care and the solutions offered by peer support specialists.
Download the toolkit, Peer Support Across Settings: A “No Wrong Door” Approach to Recovery.
To learn more, visit the Center for Peer Support.