Ask us anything about Peer Support Work

[Daisydreamer]

Awesome questions @Gwynn! I am sure our peer support team will also have a few answers for these when they are back online after some training these next couple of weeks 🙂 @Former-Member @Paperdaisy @tyme @hanami 

I can certainly answer these from my experiences as a peer worker the last 11 years, but every person will have a different answer to these questions 🙂 I invite Community Guides to answer these too 🙂 

I will probably approach these from a more systemic lens (because Peer Workforce planning and development is where my more recent experience is 🙂 ) It will be a long response, because these questions are so brilliant they deserve a deep response!

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

I think the most surprising aspect of peer work for me, is how much doing this work has supported my recovery. Peer work is reciprocal, and even in a peer work role, I learn something new everyday from others I work with that I can apply to my recovery. It also has given me a really strong purpose and helped me to make meaning of all the things that have happened in my life- flipped them to be a strength that can help me to support others. 

Also, just how many pathways there are for a career in peer work. More and more opportunities are opening up in the Lived Experience Workforce that gives us options to make peer work a long term career with development pathways 🙂 SANE is certainly an example of this and it makes me feel hopeful about the future of mental health services. 

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

Every organisation that employs peer workers has a duty to ensure that there is safety in the workplace, and supports in place to ensure the wellbeing of peer workers in the role. There certainly can be challenges, in particular we talk about self care and wellbeing when supporting others, and I see it as both a personal responsibility and organisation responsibility to ensure that the environment for peer work is safe and supportive. For example, here at SANE we have external supervision, reflective practice, regular debriefing, weekly 1:1s with our managers, daily team check ins and wellbeing plans. All of those things help us to ensure we are looking after ourselves in the peer work role, and to encourage each other. 

Every peer support environment will have its own challenges, and working with a manager and the employer to explore the supports you might need in the workplace is really important. The National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines can be a good tool for you to have these conversations with services about how to establish a supported peer workforce 🙂 

There also can be systemic challenges in the role too given a lot of services are still in early stages of considering,  implementing or growing a peer workforce, so finding an employer who really understands and is invested in Peer Work is really important! 🙂 Allies make a world of difference

How do you go about advocating for reasonable accomodations for your mental health? 

Reasonable adjustments are really important for the success of a Peer Workforce. There are times in my recovery where I have had to advocate for workplace adjustments to ensure my wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others in my role. Number 1; find an ally whether it be a manager or colleague in the organisation who supports you. Number 2; Talk with HR about the process. Number 3; know your workplace rights and seek advice if you need it. 

A lot of organisations are still working out workplace adjustments, and many places who already have established peer workforces will have had these conversations before. You can also have a support person in meetings with HR should you wish!

Do you find that you burn out more because you're working closely with mental illness all the time?

Burn out can happen in Peer Work, and I think it really comes down to how we maintain our wellbeing, self care and supports, and how the organisation does. There is a shared responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of peer workers. 

I was involved in research looking at burnout in Peer Work a few years back with some interesting findings; https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02688-9
There are lots of things we can do, the employer can do, and more broadly systemic work that needs to be done to support peer workers. 

For me, managing burnout has been a learning process. I can't say I always get it right, even 11 years on, but every situation I learn from and make change to manage my wellbeing in the workplace, and ensure that I have the resources I need to be a peer worker, and to ensure my mental health is not impacted in the process. 

[Daisydreamer]

@AussieRecharger 

 As a peer worker, do you find that there are new terms and trends all the time you need to keep up with?  

In the lived experience space, language changes all the time and we don't have one universal language to refer to the same things. For example the peer workforce is called different things depending on which state you live in. In some states, it might be peer work, peer support work, lived experience work, consumer peer work, carer peer work, family, friends and family peer work, recovery coach, recovery worker, etc. 

So it can get a bit confusing! To have a look at some of the ways we refer to peer work, you can see lots of different roles and language here: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/getmedia/0b13e22c-bfe3-4c0d-b348-25a0edb1a723/NMHC_Lived-E... 

Broadly though, we are now using "Lived Experience Workforce" to refer to all lived experience designated roles (where applying lived experience is a part of the job description), and "Peer Work/Peer Support Work" to refer to front line peer support roles.

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? 

Being a peer worker can be a career, and there are now options to move from peer worker to other areas of the lived experience workforce too including leadership, policy, projects, research, team management, program management etc. It's a really exciting time to be in this line of work, because the possibilities are growing. In some ways, there are more opportunities than other workforces 🙂 

In terms of health, it really depends of what your goals are and how you manage your wellbeing in the peer work role. In the right environment, with the right supports, similar to other mental health professions longevity in peer support and a long term career is possible. I have friends who have been peer workers for 30 years, and they will stay in peer work until they retire 🙂 

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

This is a tricky one, and is a hard balance for many peer workers. Personally, it hits close to home for me sometimes, which is why we have supports in place such as supervision and debriefing.

Unlike other mental health supports, as peer workers we have "one foot in each camp"- we know what it is like to access mental health services, and know the challenges from our personal experiences, AND we are also employed by services to provide support. 

A lot of it comes down to how we manage expectations for ourselves and for others. There are some things that are inside and outside of the scope of peer work, and of a service, and those conversations can be tough to have, but at the end of the day are the most compassionate thing for everyone involved.

One thing I always remind myself is that I have the ability to also use my lived experience within services to influence the system to be more accessible and recovery oriented. The presence of peer workers in services can create massive culture change, and we are change agents in that regard. It's not always easy, but it is rewarding to create change. 

[Gwynn]

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@Daisydreamer wrote:

@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

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@MDT, if you're interested in going down the NDIS recovery coach route, they recommend that you be working towards the Cert IV, and/or two years experience in peer work.  https://www.ndis.gov.au/media/2412/download?attachment

[Gwynn]

Thank you for your thoughtful responses to my questions, @Daisydreamer !

[Former-Member]

There have been some incredible questions asked and insightful answers provided here. I'm not sure I could add a whole lot more as a lot of my answers would reflect those shared by @Daisydreamer, but I'll have a go at one of them 😊

One aspect of peer work I can speak to is the question or concern around burnout.

When I first started in this role I was concerned that it may be tough to hear/read stories related to struggles with mental health – in the case of my role we read and respond to many hard hitting posts a day. To be honest, this role has strengthened my own mental health enormously – I feel more resilient, more engaged, more supported, more fulfilled and more optimistic about my future. I've made new friends/colleagues whose values are closely aligned to my own, I feel more appreciative for the gains I've made with my own health, and I'm now more closely guarding my self-care so that I maintain longevity in the role and beyond.

Peer work has been the best thing I've done in my career to date. It's an honour to walk along side someone on their mental health journey and to offer them hope and support.

Hope that helps, I'm loving the enthusiasm and passion for the topic!

@Gwynn @Daisydreamer @AussieRecharger @MDT @pinklollipop15 @wellwellwellnez @Talzy_T 

[Talzy_T]

@Former-Member The more I hear about support worker the more I want to do it. I have a really hard time dealing with my mental health especially when my parents dont get me at all. I need all the help I can get and if being a support worker can help my mental health, educate me more about the topic, get paid and help people in need more the better. I get satisfaction when helping people its what I want to do. Its always what I wanted to do better than being stuck in a desk job dealing with computer problems all day and not understanding mental health these days its so important to be aware about this topic.

I'm currently being introduced to a volunteer anxiety helpline role from ArcVic will this help my experience, and resume when applying for support worker roles by dealing with people with anxiety such as myself and many others who go through it??

Also what is the career path in Peer support work, how can I climb the ladder or should I say advance in my role? 

[pinklollipop15]

Hi @Former-Member 

Thanks for writing about this. I have wondered about this myself and I'm glad to see it has strengthened you rather than made you burn out. 

Has been helpful 🙂

Thanks. 

[AussieRecharger]

I am thinking of setting up my own lived experience practice but I am also poo scared to make the jump as well.  When you are a person who continuously changes their mind, it's hard to want to start a business and take on the responsibility of those who look forward to having you in their corner, especially when you may not feel like being there on that particular day.  

Do you guys know of any resources out there for setting up your own lived experience practice or where mentorship may be available?

[Former-Member]

Hello @Talzy_T ,

I am sure that @Former-Member will want to respond to this message themselves but as our team are in training for the next few weeks, I hope you don't mind that I respond in the meantime. 

As previously mentioned, peer support is a reciprocal relationship so the benefits for the peer support workers are very rich and meaningful. I personally find it really special that all the memories and experiences that were most difficult and painful at one stage in my life, are now my greatest asset, as they provide me the opportunity to support others through my own story. I also work alongside a group of people in the lived experience workforce whom share similiar values and inspire me on a daily basis.

That is however not to say that the role or industry doesn't have its challenges. My first recommendation as a pathway is working on ones own recovery. This is obviously an ongoing process and I still personally work on my recovery on a daily basis. It is however very important that when people are interested in moving towards a peer support worker career path, that they are in a place in their own recovery where they have space and the capacity to give to others as well as give to themselves. The role can be very demanding. If you are ready now, that is wonderful - but if it is not now, it will be possible with time! Please do not be discouraged.

There are now Peer Support courses available that you may be interested in which are usually an essential requirement of any peer support worker role. Here is the link: https://mhcc.org.au/course/certificate-iv-in-mental-health-peer-work/

You are also in the right place for volunteer experience in peer support space. Regular forum users have the opportunity to apply for the Community Guide role. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the scope and responsibility of the peer support role.

I hope this helps!

ButterflyBeauty

[Former-Member]

Hello @AussieRecharger,

It is wonderful that you are passionate about working within the lived experience space!

I would highly recommend starting off your journey by getting work experience in an established not for profit or mental health service that offers peer support as a modality. It will help give you an understanding of the scope of peer support, the requirements for supporting a lived experience workforce and the requirements of organisational policies / procedure.

I am unable to comment on resources or mentorships as I do not have this knowledge and can only provide referrals to credible sources.

Thanks

ButterflyBeauty