PEER SUPPORT

IN THIS SECTION

What is peer support?

Roots of peer support

Values of peer support

Benefits and drawbacks

Hearing Voices Groups

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Peer Support

What is peer support?

Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, and emotional, social or practical help to each other.

Sheryl Mead, David Hilton and Laurie Curtis, Peer support: A theoretical perspective

Peer support is when people use their life experiences to help each other. There are many different forms of peer support, but they are all based on providing safe spaces where people can feel accepted and understood. In peer support, everyone’s views and experiences are equally valued and there is an emphasis on reciprocity and mutual aid – that is, people both give and receive support.

Here, we explore the roots of peer support, its essential values and give some practical examples of peer support in action.

Examples of peer support

Learn about some of the different types of peer support by clicking on the images below.

Out of hours crisis line

Peer support group

Activist collective

Peer support workers

Online forums

EXPLORE

In this module, we explore the roots of peer support, its core values, benefits and drawbacks. We also examine Hearing Voices Groups as an example of peer support in action. Use the grid below to find out more.

Out of hours crisis line

Solidarity in a Crisis (SiaC) is a peer led service offering out-of-hours crisis support over the phone or in person. Aimed at people in their local area (Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham), peer supporters offer a listening ear and share their experiences to help promote feelings of hope and belonging.

Peer support group

Bristol Hearing Voices Network offer a self-help group for people who hear voices or intrusive thoughts. The group meets weekly and offers a space for people to talk about what is going on in their lives and share their experiences of voice-hearing with one another. There is no pressure to talk, however.

Activist collective

Recovery in the Bin are a user-led group for mental health survivors and supporters who are fed up with the way co-opted ‘recovery’ is being used to discipline and control those who are trying to find a place in the world. Members come together to demand a robust ‘Social Model of Madness, Distress & Confusion’.

Peer support workers

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have employed ‘Peer Support Workers’ across a range of mental health services including adult mental health, CAMHS, services for Older People, Perinatal Mental Health and inpatient wards. Peer Support Workers are based within teams and offer an addition ‘opt-in’ service.

Online forums

Voice Collective is a London-based UK-wide service for young people who hear voices, see visions, have other ‘unusual’ sensory experiences or beliefs. In addition to developing peer support groups, they also offer an online forum for people aged up to 25, in collaboration with Hearing the Voice. This forum allows people to share experiences and support one another.

Hearing Voice Network (HVN) England is the English branch of HVN, a peer-focused national network linking Hearing Voices Groups and other similar initiatives. This forum is for people who hear voices, see visions, have other ‘unusual’ sensory experiences or beliefs, and their supporters.