Setting Up a Peer Support Program

This is intended to help you establish a Peer Support Program. It is based on a literature review of Best Practices Identified for Peer Support Programs. Shared experience is the foundation for peer support as it fosters a sense of trust and credibility necessary for people to open up and discuss their problems, reducing the sense of stigma. Peer Support Programs are not a substitute for professional Psychological support.

Types of Peer Support

Peer Support can be offered to support three key areas:

  • To address exposure to traumatic events, for this you may want to consider
  • Establishing peer supporter(s) within your service to provide ongoing support
  • Consider if regular meetings should be held between the peer supporter(s) and professional support to hon peer support skills and provide additional referral conduits
  • Identify if your peer supporter(s) will play the role of liaison to chaplains, leadership and/or the medical community
  • To address suicide prevention
  • Consider integrating peer support into a suicide prevention program
  • Identify role and supports for peer supporter(s) who provide this type of support
  • To address recovery and return to work
  • Identify if peer supporter(s) can play a role in recovery and return to work, consider the role of advocate who can assist with understanding and accessing benefits and services
  • Consider engaging members of the service who can serve as an example of how to manage injury and provide support from someone who has experienced

Setting the Peer Support Program Policy

  • Identify who is eligible for peer support, for example only current staff, retired, those on leave, etc.
  • Identify if the peer support program will be supported by external resources or internally through volunteers and detail how the peer supporters will be identified, selected and screened
  • Consider enlisting a mental health professional who can provide consultation and guidiance to the peer support program and peer supporter(s)
  • Identify the needs of your organization for a peer support program and then set specific goals to meet those needs, consider probing the following needs
  • Need for sustained support throughout service
  • Identification of those needing additional support
  • Requirement to provide follow-through/referral to additional services
  • Preference for confidentiality/anonymity
  • Suicide prevention
  • Recovery and Return to Work supports – liaison with medical team, WSIB, transition back to work and the role peer support will play in that
  • Identify the type of peer support program you will offer, is it multifaceted or a singular approach
  • Identify the specific roles and responsibilities that are required to make the peer support program successful for examplewho on the leadership team will be responsible for managing the peer support program, what administrative supports are required, what are the responsibilities of the peer supporter(s)
  • Describe how the peer support program will run and how staff can engage in the program
  • Clearly articulate the boundaries of the peer support program including role boundaries and managing confidentiality
  • Identify if your organization will offer supplemental supports to your peer support program such as phone or internet based support
  • Identify the type of training that will be provided to peer supporter(s), consider providing training on
  • Confidentiality
  • Peer support principles and roles and responsibilities of peer supporter
  • Managing Crisis and Emergencies, PTSD awareness, signs and symptoms
  • Addressing Stigma
  • Cultural competency – how ethnicity, race, spirituality, gender, sexual orientation, and local community play a role
  • Substance abuse
  • Facilitating groups and communication skills
  • Available supports within your organization
  • Crisis procedures
  • How to address situations that go beyond their expertise
  • How to recognize warning sides for potential suicide
  • How to support recovery and return to work
  • Psychological First Aid
  • State the various supports available to staff and peer supporters
  • Identify how you will collect data on the effectiveness of the organizations peer support program

Peer Program Models and Structures

Support Group

Multiple individuals who meet to share experiences. This provides an opportunity to learn from each other and strengthen the social network. This type of program can be difficult to start and requires administrative support and consistent strong participation.

Suggested steps to establishing a support group

  • Identify a professional or peer who can lead the group
  • Identify the peer support leaders roles and responsibilities
  • Identify what training will be provided to the peer support group leader including roles and responsibilities, facilitating groups, communication skills, how to address situations that go beyond their expertise
  • Consider if the group structure will be predefined or if it will operate on a “drop-in” basis. Either way, keep the group small, not more than 10-15 people
  • Identify how the peer support group will be communicated to staff
  • Set a regular schedule for meetings, it recommended that these meetings should be held once a month

Peer Mentor

This is a one-to-one relationship between a peer supporter and the individual. This type of program provides individual attention and advocacy, however it is highly dependent on the skills and abilities of the mentor to provide assistance.

Suggested steps to establishing a peer mentor program

  • Identify who and how many staff or personnel will act as peer mentors and if this will be a voluntary or compensated position
  • Identify how staff will be able to engage with a peer mentor
  • Identify the specific training that peer mentors will receive including communications skills, available resources and how to address situations that go beyond their expertise

Peer Educator

The role of the peer educator is to lead a short course on awareness or resiliency that includes an interactive discussion. The focus of this program is on access to information and it is generally a short term intervention. This type of program typically does not provide ongoing support.

Suggested steps to establishing a peer educator program

  • Identify who and how many staff or personnel will act as peer educators
  • Identify how staff will be identified to participate in the education program
  • Identify the type of education that will be delivered through this program
  • Set the education program schedule
  • Identify class size (typically 10- 20 individuals per class to encourage discussion)

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