Peer Connections
Do you experience challenges with your mental health? Perhaps you’re looking for support with depression, anxieties, or motivation or want to talk with someone else who understands and “just gets it.”
Peer Connections is a free peer mentoring service that offers support to people aged 18+ living in Somerset with a diagnosed or undiagnosed Serious Mental Illness (SMI)—Schizophrenia, Psychosis, Bipolar or a Personality Disorder.
What is Peer Mentoring?
Peer Mentoring usually occurs between a person who has lived through a specific experience (Peer Mentor) and someone new to that experience or who feels they would like support (Peer Mentee). Peer mentoring provides individuals who have faced or are facing a specific life experience the chance to learn from those who have recovered from a similar experience. It can also be beneficial to those giving peer support.
Talk to a mentor who understands
A peer mentor will listen to you without judgment. They will offer you support based on their own lived experience, give you an opportunity to think about what you’d like to achieve and share ideas that have worked for them. You might not have had this type of support before, but it can make a big difference.
How it works
- We will arrange an introduction between you and one of our peer mentor volunteers. This will be a mentor with experiences similar to yours.
- Once you and your mentor have been introduced, we will arrange a time that works for you both so your mentoring conversations can begin.
Mentoring can take place on the phone, online, or face-to-face. You will be offered at least six conversations. - We welcome referrals through Open Mental Health locality teams, partner organisations, including Mindline 24/7, and any health professional or organisation you are in contact with.
- All of our peer mentors are volunteers who want to help people in the same position as they were. Our Peer Mentor volunteer team is exceptional, and we respect and value the support they offer to others. We are not currently recruiting further Peer Mentor volunteers but are committed to maintaining a team of ten and will start recruitment again when necessary.
The Benefits of Peer Mentoring
- Increased understanding or insight into mental health issues
- Improved coping strategies
- Increased confidence and self-esteem
- An increase in hopefulness
- Increased social activities and involvement in the wider community
How and when mentoring sessions take place
Mentoring sessions can occur over the phone, via Teams, Zoom, or in person. Face-to-face meetings take place in a community space and never in the mentee or mentor’s home. Mentoring sessions are generally scheduled Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. All mentees will receive guidance before any meetings take place.
Two support options for people with SMI or personality disorders—Peer Connections, Peer Mentor Volunteer support and SMI Community & Outreach, 1:1 Physical Health & Wellbeing Navigator support:
Peer Connections—Peer Mentor Volunteer support involves conversations with a volunteer from Peer Connections. The volunteers share similar experiences of mental health challenges and provide friendly, non-prescriptive, and empathetic support. They also share personal recovery stories, ideas for self-help, and encouragement/motivation.
SMI Community & Outreach—1:1 Physical Health & Wellbeing Navigator Support still has a peer focus but involves meeting with an employed Community & Outreach Service staff member. If offered an annual physical health check, a Navigator can help a client understand and make sense of it and work through any fears they may have.
Through tailored and person-centred support, the navigator works with clients before, during, and after their SMI Physical Health Check. This may include exploring a client’s barriers to engaging with clinical staff and services, concerns about the physical health Check itself, attending appointments with them, or helping to access services to improve physical health and wellbeing, such as connecting with community activities.
How we manage the demands and provide the best support for those who request our service:
We accept referrals/transfers for individuals who meet the criteria of having an SMI or Personality Disorder. We will contact the individual and “triage” them according to their needs, complexity, and goal or desired support outcome.
Working in this way, we can offer the client either 6-8 contacts with Peer Mentor Volunteer support or 8-10 contacts with 1:1 Navigator support. They will be added to our waiting list accordingly. The referrer will be informed and kept updated as best as possible.
If you are unsure whether you or a client you wish to refer/transfer meet the support criteria, you are welcome to contact us for a friendly discussion.
Learn more
If you would more information, please contact Sue Hunter, Project Manager, at susan.hunter@rethink.org.
For more detailed information about these services, please visit our SMI Community & Outreach service or Annual Physical Health Checks pages.