Community Discussions
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Are there any peer support groups at UBC for mental health and recovery?
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Hi! I’m just wondering if there are any peer support groups at UBC for students recovering from mental health issues. I’ve been in therapy for NPD and BPD for almost a year now and I’ve recovered quite a lot, but one thing I’m struggling with is the pure isolation of it all. I really wish I knew other people who were going through similar things so we could help each other with recovery and support each other, but I’m terrified of opening up due to stigma. I guess I just wish I could relate with people and feel understood, and also be able to talk about recovery related topics without facing negative reactions.
If anyone knows of any support groups at UBC, I would really appreciate hearing about it. Thanks!
Top Comment:
Hello! The UBC Student Recovery Community hosts multiple great peer support groups for folks across a spectrum of recovery!
Check out their Instagram here https://instagram.com/recovery_ubc?utm_medium=copy_link
There’s also a group called Kaleidoscope, that hosts peer support groups as well!
Tell me about a day in the life as a peer support specialist. Preferably in the USA
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I’ve been thinking about becoming one but I’d like to know more about what a day looks like for you. Also what populations do you work with? It seems like from what I’ve looked into it’s mostly people with mental health issues or people in recovery. I would like to try and help perinatal mothers. I’m not sure if that’s possible. Any feedback is welcomed.
Top Comment: Hi. Peer support specialist are workers who have personal lived experience of mental health challenges. We use our firsthand knowledge of conditions, successes, treatment, stigmas, etc. to support others who may be struggling in those areas. Recovery peer specialists do similar work with individuals who are living with substance use disorders. Other specialties I know of are related to youth, families, seniors, and formery incarcerated. I’m not sure about other areas. I work full time with people 18+ in a short-term emotional crisis respite. The all-peer staff offers a lot of one-on-one counseling, and we run 3 small groups workshops a day. Some groups we offer are drawing, meditation, journaling, baking, ADHD hacks, yoga, poetry, photography and goal setting. Also, nightly we have a house dinner that the peers cook with the respite guests. I spend a fair amount of time supporting guests connect with resources in any number of areas if their lives. Also coordinating with the guests’ providers around that. At least two hours a day is spent conducting intake interviews and writing progress notes. Guests come to the respite as an alternative to voluntary hospitalization because they don’t require such an intense and possibly traumatic level of care. Many of our guests have serious diagnoses, but are stable in their treatment. We are not equipped to support people with volatile or dangerous symptoms. I hope this gives you an idea of what one type of peer job is like. There literally are 100’s of different job descriptions because peers are so versatile in what we can offer. Good luck!
Peer Support perspective
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I am a current independently licensed SW at an academic medical center. I work with pts who have addiction disorders. I’m more case management-y but I do provide interventions too. I do not do psychotherapy in this role. It’s really a great middle ground! Anyways, My team utilizes certified peer supporters. They are, for the most part, pretty fucking awesome!!
I’m considering becoming certified myself but for mental health supports. I’m seeing it as a supplement to my knowledge base and perspective rather than to use it here. I think if I’m not careful about boundaries, the two roles could get blurred but where I am now, I have enough autonomy and support that it would be fine. If I were to work elsewhere 😬 idk
Can I get other’s perspectives on this? Maybe pros, cons? Experiences?
Top Comment: I’m a peer support specialist working on my MSW. I’m technically over qualified for my role but I got hired on while I was still in undergrad. As for EBP- peers can utilize Illness Management and Recovery and Wellness Recovery Action Planning. However, since you are already a social worker, you can utilize those modalities as well. I would consider attending an IMR training instead of getting your CPS certificate for several reasons. Like any other kind of certificate/license you have to complete a certain amount of hours to maintain it. And as someone who has been through the training and a social work education- you already know all the things. This isn’t a certificate that will lead to more pay or some kind of promotion. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a fantastic role, however you already have a skill set that incorporates and exceeds what a peer does.
Day in the life of a recovery peer support specialist
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What is your day to day life like? I’m interested in this career once I reach a year sober.
Top Comment: This definitely depends on what type of peer you are! I am a crisis peer and I work nights, so my typical “day” involves waiting around for an evaluation call, driving anywhere from 15 mins to 1 hour away, sitting through and engaging in evaluations with a crisis clinician and client, working closely with nurses and doctors to support the client and make a decision on whether the person will be hospitalized or not, often times speaking with family alongside the doctor, then documenting everything once I’m home. Prior to crisis, I worked traditional peer support and my day started and ended with billable services. The most clients I had at one time was around 40 and never less than 25. These billable services could be a phone call to check in after a therapy apt or it could be driving someone 30 mins away for a drs apt. It could be visiting someone at home or going grocery shopping with them. I also worked two shifts a week at a drop in center, which our peer support team did on a rotating basis. So that was just hanging out at the center and providing support to whoever needed it and monitoring any clients who were there to make sure everyone was being respectful. Also had to do door knocks for crisis clients who dropped off after being discharged from the hospital, so I would go to their listed address and try to lay eyes on them to make sure they were safe (I don’t think this is typical practice for most places lol.) I prefer crisis work over community work. I spent a lot of time in peoples homes, some of which were less than ideal places to be spending time as expected. The sheer volume of work was very exhausting and overwhelming, but being solely responsible for my case load and being able to drive around freely all day and plan my days how I want was really nice. You don’t get that type of freedom in many jobs. Drop in center was boring but I really think that’s because our drop in center is not like everyone else’s yet, it’s pretty new and not in an ideal space for the program.
Peer support is the new cheap therapist. Topics include parenting, substance abuse, relationships, grief and loss, ect. It’s also super cheap
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Another venture capitalist finding ways to hire Coaches and peer support staff
$40 for 30 minutes to chat someone
Top Comment: I mean, peer support can be a very effective and powerful thing. It's also rooted in a lot of grassroots movements and was widespread decades ago. A lot of people cannot access professional, qualified therapists. Peer support can be a lifeline and life changer for many of those. I get that capitalism getting their hands on it sucks, but that's what business does. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Can anyone tell me a little about becoming a Peer Support Specialist?
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So I’m still trying to get my shit together a find a career as a 24 year old woman. My therapist thinks I’d be a great peer support specialist. I briefly read about it and I’m intrigued. Can anyone tell me more about the job? Like what you do, the training, etc? My only concern I suppose is the pay. It doesn’t look terrible, but I don’t think I’ll be making a lot.
Top Comment: It really depends on you and what type of mindset you are in and the company you’re working for. I have been doing this job for almost 4 months and I have a love hate relationship. I’ve experienced vicarious trauma in this short time. Every kind of Child abuse you can think of, animal abuse, drug abuse, (in person) Talk of domestic violence, sexual assault, crimes. You have to have a history of mental health to become a specialist. That’s what makes us different from a therapist. But we aren’t “therapists” It’s a way for people to get paid less and we basically get the training to be a therapist without years of schooling. This job is said to be harder than going to school. It’s like being a therapist/social worker/ case manager in one. I did 4 years of college. For respiratory therapy. I’ve literally put people on life support and have taken them off because they weren’t going to make it. This is harder than that. Physically, educationally, mentally. I stay up at night thinking of the children I’ve reported to CYS wondering if they’re okay. Or if I could have done more to help who I’m working with, or what else I could do to change their lives. The training was 2 weeks and I get weekly supervision. Along with continuing education annually. You have to keep a lot of clients if you want to earn a living wage. You do NOT get paid if they cancel, at least at the company I work for. They get you with telling you that the job is flexible, it’s too flexible. You have to have so much of your day open in case someone cancels, and then maybe you can meet with another peer. And they all have their preferences. It’s hard to find morning people. I have 5 peers who all hate mornings and they all need at least two appointments a week and I travel to three different cities 30 min in different directions from home. There’s not enough days in the week. It’s almost impossible to get full time. It has taught me a lot in life. But at the expense of my own wellbeing. There’s things you see and hear that I bring home with me and it shouldn’t be that way. I’m not fully recovered in mental health, and you are supposed to be to do this. But the truth is, No one is. You find ways to deal with it. And if you’ve dealt with it enough and found ways to still be here and you want to help people do the same, you can do it. Self care is extremely important. And having your own support system. Although I’m late to the discussion, this is for anyone reading if you’re thinking about this job. Do lots of research on the company. Don’t go off of what current coworkers and supervisors tell you about the job and how much they love it. Look at online reviews, reviews from people on indeed and job sites about the company. As much as you can.
Peer support
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Since any trust I had in the system is gone, there's a vacuum. Obviously, we can't sit and listen to each other's troubles for hours on end, but we can encourage one another in life, yes?
Is there a peer support subreddit that is actually supportive? I don't want to dip into toxic positivity, but at the same time, I want to at least try to climb out of the pit the "health" "care" industry left me in.
Could we start something like that here? Move to another subreddit? Join another subreddit? I still need help, even if it's mild encouragement from strangers.
Top Comment: I think existing peer support communities largely skew towars pro-therapy, and some can be aggressively pro-therapy in a way that's damaging to people who've been through harmful or traumatic therapy. (Some people are trying way too hard to get a gold star from their therapist and seriously need to chill and stop trying to win at Good and Compliant.) I think it would be really cool if there was one that was pro-autonomy where people had the freedom to choose therapy, but against telling others to get therapy, and was focused on support that wasn't centered around therapy or the assumption that therapy would be necessary.
How does it feel like to be a Peer Support Specialist long term?
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I’m interested in becoming a Peer Support Specialist, but I’m still not 100% sure if it’s the right path for me. I’m still in the process of getting my life together but I feel like I’m on the cusp of seriously considering Peer Support, or at least exploring it more deeply.
I am diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Clinical Depression, Anxiety and Opioid Use Disorder. I’ve been doing well in my OUD recovery for years now and overall I’ve made good progress managing my BPD symptoms and depression. Of course, I still have hard days — dips in mood, periods of depression, moments where things feel shaky — but I’m learning to navigate them better.
That said, I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked (or is working) as a Peer Support Specialist:
• How does the work feel long-term, emotionally?
• What are the good and the bad?
• Is it as fulfilling and draining as I imagine?
• How difficult is the work, realistically?
• With your own mental health struggles, how do you find the balance between supporting others and protecting your own recovery?
• How do you personally manage/cope?
• Do you have any regrets pursuing this job?
I appreciate any insight or advice. Thank you in advance. :)
Top Comment: I love it. Have never been in a role this fulfilling.
"so what do you do for work?"
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sometimes I find myself drawing a blank when asked this question. practically no one will be familiar with a peer support specialist role so simply stating that isn't enough. often times further explanation can draw comparisons to a social worker, therapist, case manager and sometimes even a sponsor in 12 steps. so you end up talking more about what peer support isn't rather than what it is. I've also tried to craft an elevator pitch when engaging with other community providers who aren't totally familiar with the role of peer support specialist but I'm not confident always in defining the role. I would love any input from my fellow peers on how they best explain what we do.
Top Comment: Great discussion question. I'm excited to see what people say. I usually go with "I work in mental health" and then depending on the reaction to that I decide whether or not to disclose if I'm a peer. It's been my experience that I always want to advocate for the field, but I often get asked by like Uber and Lyft drivers or strangers in passing so it doesn't always feel worth it. Plus that way of handling it allows me to breach the topic more carefully. Never know when you're talking to a current or retired clinician so it's important to distinguish us respectfully of other roles. I like to say I'm paid to share my story in ways that assist other people predominantly, but I also link to resources and sometimes learn a skill with someone as practice for being an active member of their community such as knitting or cooking or cleaning something in particular. It depends what the person says they need and the way to get them to independently be able to do it in the future. Not as elevator pitch like as I would desire but I don't like to leave out the peers we serve guide the service, not us as the professional.