A day in the life of a peer support worker: Graham
| Date | 10 August 2015 |
| Pages | 114-118 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-05-2015-0016 |
| Published date | 10 August 2015 |
| Author | Emma Watson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
A day in the life of a peer support
worker: Graham
Emma Watson
Emma Watson is Peer Support
Worker at the Institute of Mental
Health, Nottingham NHS Trust,
Nottingham, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of being a peer support worker by
drawing reflections from a working day.
Design/methodology/approach –This is a reflexive account of a person experience written from thepeer
support worker’s own perspective.
Findings –Reflections focus on the “non-directive”element of peer support and the danger of making
assumptions when supporting others and working with staff.
Originality/value –While the research evidence for peer support continues to grow, there are few first
person accounts of the experience of peer support working.
Keywords Discharge, Recovery, Peer support, Inpatient setting
Paper type Viewpoint
Graham
“Do you think I should stop taking my medication?”.
I am mid-conversation with Graham, we were talking about his flat but it seems his mind
is on other things. I first met Graham during his ward review that I happened to be sitting
in on. I made it my business to seek him out afterwards for a couple of reasons: first, because he
mentioned that he had no one to talk to on the ward and I thought I could offer him some
of my time. Second, because I like him. The ward staff said that he “threw a tantrum”yesterday
morning and, rightly or wrongly, I quite like that diva side to him. When life gives you lemons,
shout at the lemons and then throw them at the wall, that is what I say. Finally, because Graham
is the only person on the ward at the moment who is under 30, and I think it might feel a bit lonely,
so as we are the same age, I thought we might find some common ground.
In his review I learned a little about his “presentation”and about how he is not finding being on the
ward helpful. It felt that there was an underlying assumption that in time Graham would find the
ward helpful, he was just not using it correctly yet. Graham has been telling me more about what
it feels like to be him. Over the past few months the thought that he is a monster has grown
louder and louder in Graham’s mind. If he sees a child walking down the street, he will have the
thought that he could hurt them, he goads himself, saying “you wanted to hurt them didn’t you,
because you’re a monster. You should be locked up”. He is terrified that he will act on the
thoughts, but at the same time he knows that he would never act on them because they are the
opposite of what he really wants. They represent his worst fears and not his greatest desires.
He says that his boyfriend and his friends are sick of hearing about it, because they continually
give him reasons why he is not a monster, and he has another reason why he is. It is all he can
PAGE114
j
MENTALHEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
VOL. 19 NO. 3 2015, pp. 114-118, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308 DOI 10.1108/MHSI-05-2015-0016
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