Peer Support for Individuals

Peer Power

At its best, peer support starts with what’s strong, not with what’s wrong, recognising the individual as a whole person rather than only focusing on the problem. This creates a relationship which is forward looking, and solution focused, and one which generates hope, all the while promoting resilience and a strengthened ability to cope with difficulty.

Peer Support Groups

Open Mental Health has a variety of ways for you to access and benefit from peer support.

Meeting other people who share a common experience and who have travelled a similar journey helps create bonds of friendship. This kind of relationship is purposeful what you have in common brings you together & enables you to share your life in a more trusting place. You can benefit from these relationships and they can help you to look at things from new angles, develop greater awareness of personal and relationship patterns and provide ongoing support for one another.

Facilitated Support Groups Attended by Peer Members

Run by our Open Mental Health partners throughout the county, here people who are living with mental health needs can meet others in a social environment and access information and support.

WATCH Thursday Project

Become a WATCH member and be part of a weekly meet up in Chard every Thursday. WATCH also offer other activities across other areas of Somerset. You can find more information about the project and the free courses on offer on their website here.

More information about groups coming soon!

Independent Peer Support Groups run by Peer Members

These groups are set up and run by the members and are often closed to any new members. Open Mental Health helps new groups set up by bringing people together on Peer support courses to learn how to form dynamic, peer support groups themselves. Beyond the courses there is also support for these emerging groups from Peer Group Workers. The advantage of people running their own groups is part of focused recovery as members of the group realise their ability to make decisions which help them move forward and showcase that they don’t need an organisation to “provide” support, they can provide this for themselves. In an independent peer support group, members can decide to help each other move forward intentionally challenging themselves, using the group to help conquer the fears that might restrict them from engaging with new things and stopping them from accessing resources.

More information about groups coming soon!

Peer Training and Independent Peer Group Support

Open Mental Health helps new groups set up by bringing people together on Peer support courses to learn how to form dynamic, peer support groups themselves. Beyond the courses there is also support for these emerging groups from Peer Group Workers. Both the training and group support is provided by WATCH the Open Mental Health peer specialist organisation.

If you are interested in the peer support courses that WATCH runs then please email info@watchproject.org.uk

If you are interested in help setting up peer groups, then please contact our Peer Engagement Lead who provides countywide support, on the email below:
gemmaadams@watchproject.org.uk

Peer Working Roles 

The Power of the Peer

The Power of Peer means that people with lived experience of mental health issues are seen as part of the solution with a role to play in supporting both their own recovery and the recovery of other people. There is evidence that peer support reduces admission rates, reduces the length of hospital stay, increases empowerment, increases confidence to develop skills, increases social functioning, decreases stigma, increases self-esteem, and increases recovery, mental health, and wellbeing. Being a Peer Supporter/Worker improves people’s skills, knowledge, social connections, and wellbeing.

Having Peer Supporters and Peer Support Workers on a delivery team can have a positive influence on staff for validating, non-judgmental and flexible/creative approaches. Having a peer alongside them can mean people are more open to positives that can help them in their recovery journey, including in-service/clinical settings where it can mean someone is more open to personal insight into their innate wellbeing, and are better able to engage with treatment and support. Open Mental Health supports various paid and voluntary peer supporter roles through training, peer-to-peer supervision and encouraging Open Mental Health members to provide roles to peer workers.

Peer Roles include:

Experts by Experience Leaders

An ‘EbEL’ stands for Expert by Experience Leader. They represent the voice of lived experience in Open Mental Health EbELs are working as equal partners in Open Mental Health to transform the way the whole system works, and hopefully leading to better outcomes for people. This is a trailblazing model of working which means that the voice of lived experience is central to decision-making. This is exciting and dynamic and gives EbELs great experience and transferrable skills as well as steering system wide decisions.  EbELs are supported by a co-production team and meet each other on a regular basis to bring their insights and thoughts together

Peer Mentors  

Open Mental Health peer mentor volunteers are part of our Peer Connections project. The project aims to help people with their health and wellbeing, through mutually supportive one-to-one relationships. Peer Mentors call on their own lived experience of mental health challenges to help others seeking support.