Redefining help through peer support

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Traditional mental health services are not meeting the needs of service users. Peer support is an alternative approach of providing support founded on relationship where there is respect and shared responsibility. Peer support relationships are mutual and reciprocal. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The experience of peer-led care can be transformative. A key aspect is the validation and valuing of lived experience and being seen as a person not as an illness. The nature and quality of relationships is paramount and needs to be based on equity. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH NURSING?: Nurses have a key role to advocate and promote peer support services. Relationships need to be based on respect and "being alongside" service users in their recovery journey rather than trying to "fix the problem." ABSTRACT: Introduction Peer-led services provide an approach to support based on mutuality, respect and shared experience. Aim To provide an understanding of my experiences of receiving help from a peer-led service. Method Journaling experiences captured in detail the reality of my experiences at the time and were used to inform this paper. Results The Narrative describes entering a Peer-Led Acute Alternative Service when I was amid a mental health crisis and feeling broken. Here, relationships were based on connecting with others who have experienced similar struggles, being seen as an individual rather than a patient, treated with dignity and respect, being heard, having my feelings acknowledged rather than medicated and feeling understood. This created a shift in me to a place of healing and finding meaning in my experiences of mental distress which led to me training in peer support. Discussion Peer-led services can be a transformative experience which redefines the relationship and shifts the person from being a passive recipient of help to an active participant in their recovery. Choice and increased options for peer services as an integral aspect of services available for individuals on their mental health journey is critical.