Shining a light on our Volunteer Peer Mentors
At GMMH, we really value the skills that people with lived experience can bring with them. As such, we want to celebrate those supporting us as Volunteer Peer Mentors in services, utilising their own experiences of mental health and substance use difficulties to support those who may be struggling.
Having shared experiences as a base for support provides service users with a deeper level of empathy and a strong source of hope. Peer work can also provide an increased sense of safety for someone who is accessing services and empower individuals on their recovery journey.
It is part of the national NHS Long Term Plan to integrate people with lived experience into the workforce. We also hear directly from our service users that they would welcome support from a peer worker and we have many peers already in place who see firsthand the amazing impact peer support can have.
We spoke to a number of our Peer Mentors to find out more about them and the invaluable support they provide:
Ian told us that he got interested in becoming a peer mentor because of having to work through his own mental health struggles,
"I wanted to try and help other people that are struggling. At the moment, I’m supporting a number of individuals by regularly speaking to them over the telephone, supporting them with a wide range of issues from housing problems to attending hospital appointments alongside them.”
We asked Ian why peer mentorship roles are important,
”I feel that lived experience is so important. I have first-hand experience of suicidal thinking, of self-harm and depression and found a way through from the lowest point in my life. Slowly but surely, I’ve climbed out of it and think it’s vital that others can see that there is hope. I can look back on what I’ve done and it makes me feel better."
We also spoke to Colin about why having a lived experience workforce is so important,
“We can give valuable feedback to people and we know what can work and what can hinder a person’s progress. I get to support a really good group of people which, in turn helps to keep me well.”
The Recovery Academy is here to support services to consider peer mentor roles and support them through the process from start to finish, including recruitment, training and ongoing support.
If you have any questions, or simply want to discuss the process and support on offer, please do get in touch.
Tel: 0161 358 1771
Email: Recoveryacademy@gmmh.nhs.uk
