Peer Support

 

It is one of the most beautiful compensations
in life that no man can sincerely try to help
another without helping himself.
                         —Ralph Waldo Emerson

As a best-practice model for supporting people who have been diagnosed with mental illness, peer support can be one of the most significant tools a person can use on the journey to recovery. This model relies on individuals who live with mental illness to provide peer-to-peer support to others, drawing on their own experiences to promote wellness and recovery. Peer support is about getting help from someone who’s been there. Based on mutual respect and personal responsibility, peer support focuses on wellness and recovery rather than on illness and disability. Peers share with one another their experiences, their strengths, and their hope—a powerful combination for recovery.

Peer Specialists are mental health consumers who have completed specific training that enables them to enhance a person’s wellness and recovery by providing peer support. Peer Specialists work in a variety of locations, such as peer support centers, crisis stabilization units, respite programs, psychosocial rehabilitation programs, and in psychiatric hospitals. Peer support can be a one-on-one experience or a group of people sharing together. 

Peer Support Programs in Tennessee

Peer Specialists work in a variety of locations, such as peer support centers, crisis stabilization units, respite programs, psychosocial rehabilitation programs, and in psychiatric hospitals. Some of the peer support programs in Tennessee include:

 

Peer Support Centers—45 programs statewide
 

Tennessee Mental Health Consumers’ Association (TMHCA)
 

AIM Center


NAMI Tennessee (National Alliance on Mental Illness)


Peninsula’s Recovery Education Center

 

Peer Support Centers
Tennessee has a system of 46 consumer-run Peer Support Centers across the state. Each Peer Support Center is supported with state grant funds, which flow through a local mental health agency to the Peer Support Center. Each Peer Support Center is staffed entirely by consumers, with supervision provided by the local mental health agency. People who have mental health disorders or co-occurring disorders of mental health and substance abuse can go to these free Peer Support Centers for education, support, and socialization opportunities. Transportation is provided. Click here for more information about Peer Support Centers.

Peer Counseling
The Peer Counseling Program is offered by both TMHCA and NAMI Tennessee. Peer Counseling is the process by which a trained mental health consumer (Peer Counselor) gives nonjudgmental, nondirective support to a peer who is experiencing a personal crisis. It is short termed and provided by a peer instead of a mental health professional. Peer counseling is the use of active listening and problem solving skills to help peers and it is counseling is based upon the concept that people are capable of solving most of their own problems of daily living. Peer counseling sessions are structured so that the consumer generates solutions that they are more likely to act upon.

Characteristics of peer counseling:

  • Listening actively and empathetically
     
  • Providing problem solving expertise
     
  • Creating a safe and supportive environment
     
  • Encouraging the participant to clarify the issues or problem
     
  • Helping the participant brainstorm and explore options
     
  • Supplying information
     
  • Letting the person come up with their own solutions
     
  • Aiding the individual to develop decision-making skills
     
  • Advocating on the person’s behalf
     
  • Supporting the consumer to follow through on their own decisions.

Peer counseling works because:

  • It provides consumers an essential resource for recovery.
     
  • It is easier to identify and communicate with someone who has lived through and survived some of the same events or experiences.
     
  • There are no limits except if someone is in danger of hurting themselves or others.
     
  • It takes place in a one-on-one, confidential setting and creates a special bond of trust between two individuals.
     
  • People feel a sense of hope and inspiration from peers.
     
  • It offers an opportunity for a person to achieve a greater level of independence and self-sufficiency through role modeling and encouragement by peers.
     
  • Peer counseling is a powerful agent for change.
     

Findings consistently show that peer counseling reduces hospitalizations, reduces use of professional services, increases knowledge and coping skills, and increases self-esteem and confidence. In addition, there is a greater sense of well-being with stronger social networks and supports.

Peer counseling is an enhancement, not a replacement, for professional services. It is extremely helpful during weekends or after business hours and other times when mental health services are not readily available.

The Peer Counseling training consists of 15 hours of class work. The curriculum covers the following areas:

  • History of peer counseling and support
     
  • Defining the job and ethics of peer counseling
     
  • Developing relationship skills
     
  • Developing active listening skills
     
  • Integrating active listening and relationship skills
     
  • Practicing problem solving including stopping aggressive behavior, preventing suicide, and helping in a crisis.
     
  • Tests are conducted after each of the above areas is covered in the classroom.
     

For more information about Peer Counseling or to register for an upcoming training, contact TMHCA or .

 

NAMI Tennessee is a grassroots, self-help organization dedicated to improving quality of life for individuals with mental illness, their families and communities. NAMI Tennessee’s mission is accomplished through mutual support, education and advocacy. 

NAMI Tennessee offers a With Hope in Mind course that provides the basic education and skill training needed to cope with the difficulties associated with caring for adult relatives who are mental health consumers. With Hope in Mind offers helpful skill-building classes, such as problem management, communication and crisis planning, and provides care givers with immediate coping skills for dealing with the different cycles of each illness. It also provides the practical and emotional support needed by care providers in the mental health system. With Hope in Mind offers two components: education and support groups. Participating in both parts of the program gives family members the most benefit, but family members are welcome to take part in either or both. With Hope in Mind is a free, eight-session course taught by trained family members.

In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is a unique, informational outreach program developed by NAMI National that offers insight into the recovery now possible for people with severe mental illness. In Our Own Voice shows how people with serious mental illnesses cope with the realities of their disorders while recovering and reclaiming productive lives with meaning and dignity. Additionally, the program provides a safe way for consumers to share the ups and downs of their recovery and learn from others. Who better to talk about having a mental illness than those in recovery from a mental illness? Consumers are the experts in sharing their life experience. Consumers know what has and has not worked for them. The program includes:

  • Two trained presenters give personal testimony about their journeys with mental illness through dark days, acceptance, treatment, coping skills, and successes, hopes, and dreams.
  • Target audiences include: consumers, families, mental health service providers, educators, students, law enforcement personnel, professionals, faith communities, and all people wanting to learn about mental illness.

Click here for more information about NAMI Tennessee’s peer support programs.

Peninsula's Recovery Education Center

A division of Parkwest Medical Center, the Peninsula Recovery Education Center (REC) is a place where people who struggle with mental illness develop their own programs to enhance and support their recovery. The REC, a Peninsula Outpatient Program, provides a place for learning and support with students and trained staff. Many classes at the REC are led by Certified Peer Specialists who understand the challenges of living with psychiatric and addiction concerns and who are themselves models of recovery. REC’s wide range of classes includes the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®), Job Readiness, Physical Wellness, Anger Management, Spirituality, Studio Art, Computer/Technology classes and Drawing, among others. Click here for more information about Peninsula’s Recovery Education Center.