The following content provides the essential introduction to peer support work as well as key themes related to the role. These topics in addition to other content not featured here will be covered in greater detail during annual live virtual trainings.
FOUNDATIONS
We begin with recognizing the space where this work takes place, as well as the space we take up as a Peer Support Worker. Recognizing the land and how we create welcoming spaces for all is essential component of this work.
The goal of this unit is to give you tools and experiences that will allow you to reflect on information you receive in the training and experiences you hear from peers.
As a peer support worker, you will be part of caring for your community. This is important work, and it can also be complex and tough at times. Remember that we are all lifelong learners and there will be many more opportunities for you to learn as you do work in a good way.
SPACE
A key part of being a peer support worker involves making space for peers, not just physically in that you are with them, but also by allowing time and attention for them to share their own experiences as well as responding to their needs and goals.
When we think of ‘space’ we might think of a specific area such as a room or park. Within the work you do, there will be a physical space that you will be taking up and existing in alongside others. We can take up space and exist in space in a non-physical way as well, through words, actions or behaviors.
In reflecting on space that we take up or make, we now turn to looking at land acknowledgements.
Land acknowledgements are a tradition that has dated back centuries for Indigenous people, but for many non-Indigenous Canadians, officially recognizing the territory or lands we stand on is a fairly new concept. Whether we are recognizing our privilege as guests to a territory, or as Indigenous people acknowledging our history and connection to the land, acknowledging the context of the space we occupy while expressing respect and gratitude to the land and the Nations who host us is important.
It is important that we acknowledge the land that we live and do our work on and express gratitude, especially when we are visitors. Indigenous people have historically been welcoming with open arms to visitors, even uninvited guests.
Take some time to learn about the Indigenous culture and way of life where you are. Indigenous cultures are alive, modern, and vibrant. Knowing the territory where you are is important, because not all Indigenous people are the same. This idea is offensive, and destructive.
This could look a lot of ways. It is not in the words that you use, but the meaning and intention behind them. As long as you are naming the Indigenous territory you are on and your relationship to it (colonizer, settler, uninvited guest), the rest is up to you.
There’s no wrong way to express gratitude.
Below, take this opportunity to think about the land you are currently on and how you would like to exist on it moving forward.
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How does acknowledging we are visitors support us reflecting on how we behave on this land?
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PRONOUNS
We should not make assumptions about the pronouns someone uses, as our perception of someone’s appearance or behavior is not a reliable indicator of their pronoun. To create the safest space possible for everyone, we refer to individuals properly and respectfully by using the pronouns that they have indicated they use.
Not everyone may feel comfortable sharing the pronouns they use, and that’s okay! For some it may take time to feel they can do so and for others they may simply not want to share in that moment.
If you are uncertain of someone’s pronouns, you can always ask them respectfully and privately as they may not feel comfortable sharing to a crowd.
A way to ask someone what pronouns they use is by introducing yourself and your pronouns first, and then asking them for theirs. If someone is not comfortable sharing the pronouns they use, moving forward you can also use their name or gender- neutral pronouns.
When referring to large groups of people, it is often best practice to use gender-neutral terms to address everyone. This includes words such as “everyone”, “all”, “folks” or even more casual terms like “pals” or “friends” instead of terms like “guys” or “ladies and gents”.
COMMUNITY
Community generally means a group of people who feel connected to each other and often share a set of values, attitudes, interests, lived or living experience and/ or goals. Communities can include family, friends, where you come from, a group you connect with online, and much more. You can choose your own community and a community may choose you as well.
Take a look at the values that have been identified as being important to young people across Ontario below. Take a minute to think about what you value and then write about what it looks like when that value is played out.
In the work that you do, you may be asked to facilitate recreational groups or support facilitation of therapeutic groups. It can be helpful to know how to create a community agreement for these groups when needed.
Often what creating a community agreement looks like involves discussing the needs and values (and more!) of everyone. Start this conversation with any groups you have and as you decide on certain values, needs or preferences, write them down and ask everyone to sign off on the community agreement by giving a ‘thumbs- up’. If it’s a recurring group, it can be helpful to go over the community agreement at the beginning of each group meeting, like we will do to continue to set up the space when we meet.
CORE SKILLS OF PEER SUPPORT WORK
PERSPECTIVES
Perspective means having a particular way of looking at people, events and circumstances in your life. Perspective is a powerful tool to use as it allows us to better understand how to support others as well as how to reflect on our own practices and behaviors within the work we do.
A STRENGTH-BASED LENS
Using a strength-based lens means honoring the positive aspects of an individual or community. An example of this is when we reflect on the history of Indigenous people, we focus on the persistence and endurance of Indigenous people through centuries of racism and oppression. Many Indigenous people were able to preserve their roots, culture, language and history despite their struggles.
It is a balance to ensure that when we view others through a strength-based lens we do not erase, invalidate or brush off their struggles. Viewing others through a strength-based lens means that we can recognize how they contribute to and support their own and their community’s well-being and development. We can then better understand where our support is most effective and supportive.
HOLISTIC VIEWS OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
As individuals living and learning on traditional Indigenous territory, it can be hugely beneficial to us and our communities to consider valuable Indigenous perspectives in the work that we do.
Indigenous people have their own holistic understandings of health, healing, and well-being, which they have practiced since time immemorial and have been shaped by their own unique history and the unique relationship they have with their land. It is important that, as we live and work on the territory of multiple First Nations communities, we respectfully consider the traditional perspectives and incorporate Indigenous teachings and knowledge into the work that we do whenever we can do so in a respectful way. There is also vast diversity in Indigenous ways of knowing across communities, including ceremony, medicine, teachings and language. It is important to remember that one perspective or teaching may not reflect those across all Indigenous communities.
Traditionally, many Indigenous people see wellness as a state of balance between family, community, and environment. Being healthy means connecting physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental aspects of our existence together in a harmonious way. All of these components of our whole self need to be addressed and are seen as being fully interconnected. Change in one area will directly affect another. This approach to health and well-being can be referred to as ‘holistic’—we consider the whole experience of the person, not just parts.
As a peer support worker, your role will involve not only supporting individuals who are experiencing mental health challenges but supporting individuals through various experiences and challenges. This might include housing insecurity, conflict with loved ones, fears around attending medical appointments, dealing with past trauma, substance use challenges, trouble with finding a job etc. By considering each of these challenges on their own, our efforts to support individual needs may not work. For example, attempting to encourage someone to regularly attend their therapy sessions could fall flat if the individual is facing a crisis in securing stable housing. As peer support workers, we are able to connect with someone in a way that allows them to share their most pressing challenges and gives us the opportunity to show them they are not alone in their struggle.
WELCOME TO PEER SUPPORT
This unit will introduce you to the work that you will be part of as a peer support worker and give you the opportunity to reflect on how to engage in peer support in a way that honors your values, strengths and goals.
Watch Video below:
Working as a Peer Support Worker [Foundry]
RECOVERY
The Recovery Model is a services perspective that believes people can support their own mental health and wellness. Like the definition of recovery itself, treatment plans will be varied and different for everyone. The goal is to ensure there is a meaningful partnership between the person and their support network. More importantly, The Recovery Model does not rely on old approaches to mental health challenges, which can often be discouraging and bleak. Instead, it mobilizes a more positive and autonomous view of treatment in which the person is an active participant and leader rather than merely a recipient of services.
The 10 fundamental components of mental health recovery include the following principles:
• Self-Direction: Individuals determine their own path of recovery with autonomy, independence, and control of their resources.
• Individualized and Person-Centered: There are multiple pathways to recovery based on an individual’s unique strengths as well as his or her needs, preferences, experiences, and cultural background.
• Empowerment: Consumers have the authority to participate in all decisions that will affect their lives, and they are educated and supported in this process.
• Holistic: Recovery encompasses an individual’s whole life, including mind, body, spirit, and community. Recovery embraces all aspects of life, including housing, social networks, employment, education, mental health and health care treatment, and family supports.
• Non-Linear: Recovery is not a step-by step process but one based on continual growth, occasional setbacks, and learning from experience.
• Strengths-Based: Recovery focuses on valuing and building on the multiple capacities, resiliencies, talents, coping abilities, and inherent worth of individuals. The process of recovery moves forward through interaction with others in supportive, trust-based relationships.
• Peer Support: Mutual support plays an invaluable role in recovery. Consumers encourage and engage others in recovery and provide each other with a sense of belonging.
• Respect: Eliminating discrimination and stigma are crucial in achieving recovery. Self-acceptance and regaining belief in oneself are particularly vital.
• Responsibility: Consumers have a personal responsibility for their own self-care and journeys of recovery. Consumers identify coping strategies and healing processes to promote their own wellness.
• Hope: Hope is the catalyst of the recovery process and provides the essential and motivating message of a positive future. Peers, families, friends, providers, and others can help foster hope.
Reference: https://namitm.org/10fcr/
As a participant, people have a voice in how they want to be treated and how they feel about the services offered to them.17 The Recovery Model is not just a change in how we communicate about recovery, but a change in how people are respected and treated during the process.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Peer support is a process of relationship building. We cannot force someone to be ready to do the work with us, but we can hold space for them to show up whenever they are ready to. This might look like just hanging out and colouring or playing games together and asking “getting to know you” questions (you can even make a game of this to get to know each other).
You don’t always have to and can’t always expect to get right into the “deep work” with peer support. Sometimes all people need or are ready for is companionship and company and to share a safer space with someone they trust.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEERS
When you trust someone, you can feel safe with them physically and emotionally. Their actions have shown you that they are reliable and you have confidence that they will be there for you. Trust is a crucial component of relationship building and is critical to the relationship you will have with your peers.
THE STRENGTHS YOU BRING
Peer support workers are unique because they understand two different worlds which are trying to work together in a harmonious manner but often may not. These two worlds are split between the professional and the community member. That would make peer support workers professional community members in a sense. They are the people who usually have a closer understanding of a peer’s experience, based on their own experiences, while simultaneously understanding the ways professionals must operate and the way the system currently operates.
With this in mind, we might also look at peer support work as acting as a bridge between these two worlds. For some people, this bridge may be a small support in the grand scheme of things, and for others, it can be life-altering. People who are eligible for supports may never access them because of a lack of trust and lack of feelings of safety. Just by being you, by your very identity, you can help these peers feel safer and want to access the help they so deserve.
WE SAY BUT HOW WE SAY IT
It is important that we take care to avoid using language that is overly complicated. As peer support workers, one of our main goals is to make peers feel comfortable in the setting they are in. To that end— don’t worry about sounding too proper, and feel free to chat with peers using any slang or words common to your community. It is, however, important to be aware of the terminology you use and use language that peers will be able to understand. Be respectful of the language that peers choose to use when communicating with you as well.
When we are communicating with others, a lot of our communication goes beyond just what we say. Body language is what our bodies communicate to others, which includes our posture, our pose and the expression on our face. If we are in a bad mood and have our arms crossed, our eyes on the floor and a scowl on our face, this may communicate to some that we would like to be left alone or that we are having a hard time. Without saying a word, people can see that we are feeling a certain way.
When we are with peers, it is important that we be mindful of our body language as well as our tone. We might be having a bad day, which might make us sound irritable. Even if we are not irritated with the peer we are working with, they may interpret the situation as such. It is important that we reflect on the energy we are bringing and how that might affect the way we interact with peers. It is also important that we reflect on the energy that our peers are bringing and take note of shifts in tone or body language.
ACTIVE LISTENING AND ATTENDING
Attending means being present. As an example, ineffective attending behaviours include turning away, not making eye contact, leaning away from the waist up, crossing your arms and legs and/or folding your arms. When we talk about attending as part of relationship building and communication, we can break it down into four different pieces.
Active listening is a crucial component to becoming a peer support worker because our peers deserve to be heard. There can be many blocks and barriers to open communication. For example, we are often thinking of a response when we are listening to another person instead of fully hearing and understanding what the other person is saying. Sometimes, people can’t say what they are feeling or what they are experiencing.
Listening Skill Self-Assessment
Answer yes or no to the following questions:
- Do you listen primarily for facts or ideas when someone is speaking?
- Do certain words, phrases, or ideas activate your own thoughts or ideas so that you cannot listen objectively to what is being said to you?
- When you are puzzled or annoyed by what someone says, do you try to get the question straightened out immediately, either in your own mind or by interrupting the speaker?
- If you feel it would take too much time and effort to understand something, do you go out of your way to avoid hearing about it?
- Do you deliberately turn your thoughts to other subjects when you believe a speaker will have nothing interesting to say?
- Can you tell by a person’s appearance and delivery that she/he won’t have anything worthwhile to say?
- When somebody is talking to you, do you try to make him/her think you’re paying attention when you’re not?
- When you’re listening to someone, are you easily distracted by outside sights and sounds?
- If you want to remember what someone is saying, do you think it is a good idea to write it down as she goes along?
The use of active listening skills provides the listener with the ability to be more present and hear more clearly and accurately what the other person is really saying or feeling. The goal of active listening is to build communication by demonstrating “attention, understanding, responsiveness, and empathy; to encourage the continued expression of thoughts and feelings”21 in order to develop trustworthy and meaningful relationships.
Instant responses to peer comments may give the impression the other person wasn’t listening. Instead, your responses should be thoughtful, which may take some time and a short pause to generate, but it shows that the other person was listened to fully.
SELF-CARE
Everyone has a different notion of self-care; however, self-care is generally viewed as activities that we do on a regular basis that reduce our stress and enhance our well-being. Taking care of ourselves is vital to our work as peer support workers but self-care does not necessarily come to mind when we are busy or stressed. Self-care requires time to be set aside for ourselves to support our wellness.
Proper management of our stress is vital for this line of work and in our personal lives but it also takes a lot of practice. Remember, feeling overwhelmed and letting the stress get to us occasionally does not mean a weakness in our stress management. When we are feeling stressed, this feeling can help guide us to take a look at our strategies and adjust them to help us get through the stress. Stress management requires constant practice and our strategies will change over time.
