Meeting with people who speak your language
When you are in a peer support relationship (one-to one or in a peer group), it’s common to share your experience and talk about what you’ve been through and what you’ve done— things that relate to why you are there and why you are seeking support. It’s helpful to know
that you are in conversation with a person, or speaking to a group of people, who understand what you are talking about.
Learning with people who have been where you are
You will meet people who started out where you are, have had similar experiences and have moved forward to a place of recovery. This provides an opportunity to develop coping skills as you learn how others have navigated their life challenges. And it provides you with a regular reminder that healing and hope are real possibilities.
No judgment
No matter what you’ve been through, what you say or how you say it, your peers have likely been through it, seen it before, or heard it from someone else. There is no need to fear the judgment of your peer support person or the group when you are doing nothing more than sharing your own experience.
Focussed on hope and recovery
Peer support is not about what is bad, wrong or doesn’t work but rather about what is possible and what can be achieved together. You will work with people wo are not focussed on problem solving or fixing weaknesses but rather concerned with building on your strengths to co-create something new for the future.