Embedding peer support using social work values
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-06-2015-0028 |
| Date | 02 November 2015 |
| Pages | 304-313 |
| Published date | 02 November 2015 |
| Author | Petra Elias,Karen Upton-Davis |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Mental health education |
Embedding peer support using social
work values
Petra Elias and Karen Upton-Davis
Petra Elias is PhD Student and
Karen Upton-Davis is Assistant
Professor both at Social Work
and Social Policy, School of
Population Health, University of
Western Australia, Perth,
Australia.
Abstract
Purpose –The employment of mental health consumers as peer support workers (PSWs) to provide support
to other consumers is gaining momentum around the world. The purpose of this paper is to explore the
tensions and dilemmas for a social worker in developing a peer support programme at an inpatient
psychiatric service in Australia. The author draws on her experience of embedding a peer support
programme providing an insight into the difficulties experienced and strategies used which supported the
embedding of PSWs. The discipline of social work has complimentary values to the philosophy of peer
support as well as the skills to manage the broad range of activities and tasks associated with developing
a new programme. Due to the profession’s underlying knowledges and values social work is able to act as a
bridge between mental health professionals such as doctors and nurses and PSWs giving social workers the
ability to “interpret”the divergent languages, values, beliefs and practices.
Design/methodology/approach –A retrospective analysis of peer support programme implementation
using social work values as a point of reference.
Findings –The author draws on her experience of embedding a peer support programme providing an
insight into the difficulties experienced and strategies used which supported the embedding of PSWs.
Due to the profession’s underlying knowledges and values social work is able to act as a bridge between
mental health professionals such as doctors and nurses and PSWs giving social workers the ability to
“interpret”the divergent languages, values, beliefs and practices.
Social implications –This paper arose out of a conference presentationand author’s Master’s Dissertation,
for which she received honours marks. During the period she was implementing the peer support
programme, there was a dearth of local (Australian) literature about peer support programme development;
this paper is a response to that need as the author would have greatly appreciated some local wisdom about
embedding peer support programmes.
Originality/value –The authors believe this is a unique approach to a journal paper; certainly the
authors have not discovered anything of its ilk previously. There is a lot of material available now
about peer support, its benefits and challenges, and many are written by social work, psychology,
psychiatric and nursing academics but without overt statement of the professional values which inform
their practice.
Keywords Peer support, Social work practice, Consumer participation, Peer support workforce,
Programme development
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Australia-wide in mental health inpatient settings, there is a burgeoning trend of mental health
consumers securing paid positions as peer support workers (PSWs). Their role, according to
leading international peer support researchers Solomon (2004) and Mead and MacNeil (2006) is
to provide support to other mental health consumers from the perspective of one who has a lived
experience of recovery from mental illness. It was only in 2008 that peer support was introduced
to the health service, the site of the programme that is under review in this paper.
Received 22 June 2015
Revised 11 August 2015
Accepted 21 August 2015
PAGE304
j
THE JOURNAL OF MENTALHEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
j
VOL. 10 NO. 5 2015, pp.304-313, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228 DOI 10.1108/JMHTEP-06-2015-0028
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