help people get through difficult periods by providing support; relating to them; offering genuine empathy, trust, and acceptance
Peer support for people with psychiatric illness: A comprehensive review – Oxford Medicine (malesurvivor.nz)
Peer supporters help promote self-efficacy or belief in one’s own abilities by sharing experiential knowledge and by modeling recovery and coping strategies. Unlike traditional mental health practitioners, peer supporters disclose aspects of their illness and recovery stories and then draw on these experiences when working with their clients. They instill hope that recovery is possible and demonstrate that others, too, can and should assume more control over their lives.
Peer support for people with psychiatric illness: A comprehensive review – Oxford Medicine (malesurvivor.nz)
Peer supporters are role models for recovery; they offer a view of the paths and steps others can take to achieve it themselves. With role modeling, behaviors are learned through observation. Albert Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory is based on the premise that a person identifies with a role model, and observes and then adopts the role model’s behaviors, values, beliefs, and attitudes.
Peer support for people with psychiatric illness: A comprehensive review – Oxford Medicine (malesurvivor.nz)
However, this guidance goes beyond practical advice; peer supporters help people get through difficult periods by providing support; relating to them; offering genuine empathy, trust, and acceptance; and communicating hope. As their connections deepen, they encourage taking personal responsibility for one’s actions and reinforce their rights to selfdetermination.
Peer support for people with psychiatric illness: A comprehensive review – Oxford Medicine (malesurvivor.nz)