Understanding Peer Support
Description
It is widely acknowledged within the peer support and recovery literature that there are wide ranging benefits of peer support for those receiving the peer support, for the workers themselves, and for the health system as a whole. One key benefit is the greater perceived empathy and respect that peer supporters are seen to have for the individuals they support. It occurs when people share common concerns and draw on their own experiences to offer emotional and practical support and can be of value in a variety roles and health and social care settings. This module aims to enable the learner to explore the concept of peer support work and how it might be operationalized in a variety of health recovery fields. The recovery principles of hope, control and opportunity are explicit.
Learning Outcomes
Critically reflect on the nature of lived experience and expertise by experience and understand and demonstrate the basic principles of narrative inquiry.
Articulate a clear understanding of a recovery in health orientation to achieving personal recovery goals
Critically reflect on the role and contribution of peer support work in a variety of health recovery fields and on the development possibilities of such a role into the future
Develop a personal philosophy of the meaning of recovery for the self and demonstrate an understanding of the use of self as a supportive action, in particular an understanding of recovery promoting competencies, to include advanced listening and appraisal skills, solution focused working and goal planning.
Critically explore empowerment and humanistic approaches in recovery promoting relationships and in promoting improved quality of life, social participation and inclusion and in reducing health related stigma.
Critically reflect on the nature of resiliency and the promotion of a resiliency skill set
Articulate and foster key recovery objectives such as a life beyond illness, the reframing of the illness experience in terms of hope, the advancement of self agency and the development of new or emergent social roles.