Lived Experience Forum

[MDT]

Can you land a job with the advocacy course you linked ?

@Daisydreamer

[Shaz51]

Hello @Daisydreamer 

How many peer support workers do we have on Sane forumland ?? 

And also love reading the blogs created and written by  the peer support workers xx

@Rhye , @hanami , @TideisTurning , @Paperdaisy , @flybluebird , @ButterflyBeauty , @CalmingNature 

And others , love to hear more about your experiences  xx 

[Gwynn]

What's been the most surprising aspect of peer work for you?

How do you overcome challenges that you face during the course of your work?

How do you go about advocating for reasonable accomodations for your mental health? Do you find that you burn out more because you're working closely with mental illness all the time?

[pinklollipop15]

Thankyou for this.. great post! I will check these out 🙂

[Daisydreamer]

Hi @MDT 

Do you know much about the peer work environment overseas ? UK for example?

Yes, similar to Australia, other countries such as USA, UK, New Zealand, Canada etc, have been growing their peer support workforces! 

Interestingly, it's a widely misunderstood timeline for a Peer Workforce- a lot of people think that peer work is new, but the Peer Workforce has been around and growing since the 1990s (although language has changes so we were called things like "Consumer Consultant" "Patient Liaison" or "Consumer Representative"). However in recent times, it has grown in recognition of the value that peer support plays in the recovery journey, a big part in thanks to our amazing advocates, allies and lived experience researchers. I always find this interesting, that the grass roots of peer support (people supporting people) is first documented more than 300 years ago in France- it even pre-dates psychiatry. This is important because the history of peer work and peer support, tells us why it is becoming an international movement and changemaker in the mental health system... it is growing because peer work, works 🙂

In the USA, Peers are a really established and part of the mental health care system in America and can be accessed in the same way you would access a counsellor, psychiatrist or psychologist. They have a peak registration body similar to all other disciplines, which makes this possible. Here is an example of the National Practice Guidelines in America (NAPS is their registration body). 

In the UK and Canada we are seeing peer work embedded across all areas of mental health service delivery, similar to Australia. Peers work in community settings, inpatient settings, in advocacy, not for profit, research etc. Having come from the youth peer support sector before SANE, there are some awesome examples of peer work out there. Jigsaw in the UK are doing awesome work in the youth peer support space for example. In a lot of places, countries are formalising their peer support with clearer guidance, standards and practice to ensure that peer work in consistently delivered to a high standard. 

The last example I will share that is worth looking at are New Zealand examples. I met an amazing person working for an organisation called Te Pou. They have done a lot of work in developing competencies for Peer Work, that are applied by services in practice. Peer Work in New Zealand also looks similar to Australia, but they have some pretty incredible world leaders in their midst. Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training for example operates out New Zealand, and they are doing some amazing things in peer support. 

Overall, Peer Work and more broadly, the Lived Experience Workforce, is really growing and developing significantly. We truly are the embodiment of recovery oriented practice, and in future I anticipate we will see more growth and development beyond frontline roles, to also see lived experience designated roles from Senior Leadership down in many organisations across the world (it's already beginning!)

[Daisydreamer]

@MDT Also, what was the biggest challenge/s you faced ?

I am going to tag my peer work colleagues to also answer this question if they would like to 🙂 @Paperdaisy @Rhye @hanami @tyme 

For me, the biggest challenge was one that I think is less relevant these days now the peer workforce is so much more established. When I first started in Peer Work, I was the only Peer Worker in my service, and no one knew my role or what it was all about. It meant I was often asked to do things that were outside the scope of my work, our outside of my practice. I found being really clear about what Peer Work is (and what it isn't) really helped me educate and have conversations with other mental health workers about the benefits of peer support. It also helped to clarify how my role could be beneficial to them too within the multidisciplinary team. 

Second, was managing my boundaries and self care. Because we bring so much of ourselves into the workplace, it can mean that we are exposed to things that might come close to our story, or bring up triggers. As all the Peer Workers and Community Guides can attest to, I talk about self care and boundaries a lot, because it is the number one thing that will sustain you as a peer worker in this industry long term. For those who are thinking about peer work, have a think about what you want to share and what parts of your story are just for you. While we share and connect, we get to decide what those boundaries to ensure that our stories are safe for us to tell, and safe for the other person to hear 🙂 

[MDT]

these are really helpful and comprehensive answers @Daisydreamer
I appreciate your insights
I do hope you received my most recent email too !

Thanks again for your help

[Daisydreamer]

@MDT Can you land a job with the advocacy course you linked?

Yes you can. At the moment, many organisations do not require you to have prior experience or training (while they might deem it desirable). Many organisations might include a caveat that you would need to complete or be working towards the Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work within your first year of employment

[AussieRecharger]

I was called an "enabler" the other day and I had to go and look it up to understand what the person was talking about.  As a peer worker, do you find that there are new terms and trends all the time you need to keep up with?  

Do you feel that being a peer worker is a career or do you feel like it needs to a be stepping stone as doing it for too long can be detrimental to your own health? 

How do you feel when someone makes you out to be the enemy because your part of the "system"?

[Daisydreamer]

How many peer support workers do we have on Sane forumland?? @Shaz51 

Great question! So here at SANE we currently have 13 Peer Workers (including Peer Worker Managers) on services. At the moment, we have 4 peer workers who are on Forums as their main role, and other peer workers who jump in from time to time. 

Our workforce on the Forums is going to grow significantly over the next few months, so you will see some more regular peer workers around soon 🙂