What is Peer Support Services?
- Peer Support is a therapeutic tool and essential element to recover from mental health conditions such as bipolar, major depression, or substance abuse.
- Peer support services make use of empathy and empowerment to help support and inspire recovery.
- Peer-run services are based on the principle that individuals who have shared similar experiences can help themselves and each other.
- Peer support has demonstrated effective outcomes such as reduced isolation and increased empathic responses.
- Peer Support services present advances over traditional mental health services.
- Peer specialist’s offer compassion and commitment comes out of a deep sense of gratitude.
- Peer specialist have insight into the experience of a mental health issue.
- Peer specialists have been through lived experiences with mental health issues and are willing to help you achieve the same.
- Peer specialist help individuals can help you move from hopelessness to hope.
- Peer specialist have experienced the feeling of hopelessness at one time in their lives and are willing to help you move through and beyond that hopelessness to create the life you want.
- Peer specialists have learned to recognize triggers and early warning sighs, counteract the negative Impact of stress, and are willing to help you create plans for taking care of yourself.
What Happens When You Experience Unhealthy Stress?
As humans we have an animalistic response to freeze, fright and flight, called, “primal immediacy.” The body may hold on to the stress instead of allowing it to release, unless the primal response of the threat can be reenacted in a safe, gradual, natural way.
Individuals develop unhealthy habits and patterns of behaviors that interfere with our ability to manage stress effectively thus causing over time an increase in anxiety, difficulty focusing, and depression.
Peer Support Specialists
As shown to be effective in helping people with a wide variety of conditions including (but not limited to):
• Bereavement
• Depression
• Disasters
• Eating Disorders
• Emotional/Physical Distress
• Everyday Stress
• Numerous Mental Health Diagnoses
• Phobias
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms
• Abuse (Physical, Sexual, Emotional)
• Accidents
• Addiction Issues
• Anxiety