1 / 11

Peer Support Work

Peer Support Work. Elaine Browne Peer Support Worker. REFOCUS. REFOCUS is a three year Genio funded initiative which involves partnership between Mayo Mental Health Services, Advancing Recovery Ireland, the HSE and RehabCare. What is REFOCUS ABOUT?. “Building a Life Beyond Illness”

lana
Download Presentation

Peer Support Work

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Peer Support Work Elaine Browne Peer Support Worker

  2. REFOCUS • REFOCUS is a three year Genio funded initiative which involves partnership between Mayo Mental Health Services, Advancing Recovery Ireland, the HSE and RehabCare.

  3. What is REFOCUS ABOUT? • “Building a Life Beyond Illness” • The person using the service is put at the centre of planning and designing a service to suit their own individual needs. • Implementing a personal recovery plan with a Planning Facilitator. • Refocus is about developing a team of natural and professional supporters around the person. • Refocus is about creating opportunities within the wider community rather than depending soley on existing support within the services. • Refocus is about Recovery.

  4. WHAT IS A PEER SUPPORT WORKER? • A PSW is a person who has lived experience of a mental health issue and is a trained professional. • A PSW has a deep understanding of the impact a mental health issue can have on a person’s life. • A PSW is an “expert by experience”. • A Peer Support Worker is open about their personal experience when working. • A PSW is a guardian of Hope, Control, Opportunity and Recovery.

  5. Why am I a Peer Support Worker? • After a long struggle with fear, confusion, isolation and not knowing what was happening me, the only escape from the now physical pain was to end my life. • Discovered by a friend, hospitalisation and diagnosis. • Months in hospital kept me alive and allowed me some respite after the struggle of existing within the world. • Found that I had a mental health issue but still didn’t find the will to live or have any hope for my life. • Care was good but something was missing. • After discharge, struggled with making life work and was readmitted after another attempt on my life. • This time decided to take responsibility for my own Recovery.

  6. What a Peer Support Worker Does when Working. • We Discover who the person is beyond their diagnosis. In turn the person goes through self discovery. • Listen, share, talk, stay silent, be fully present, non judgemental, hold hope for the person, give information, empower, discover, plan for the future, set achievable goals, shadow the person but never “do for”. • A PSW never gives advice as the person becomes the expert in their own recovery.

  7. What is Recovery? • Recovery is living a life that is not dictated by diagnosis or presence or absence of symptoms of mental illness. • Recovery is about gaining confidence and control. • Recovery is at the individuals pace. • Recovery can be 2 steps forward and 5 steps back! • Recovery is about making “The Community your Support and not The Support your Community”. • Recovery is about building up relationships outside of the services. • Recovery is real for individuals. • Recovery is sometimes realising that our fears and doubts can hold a person back from recovery.

  8. Does Peer Support Work? • My Personal experience of a peer in my life during my illness. • How we see signs of progress in participants of Refoces, hope, control, self advocacy. • A valued role as part of a team, maybe a link that has been missing in the services. • PSW being the bridge to the community. • Not a co-dependant relationship but eventually a dissolving relationship.

  9. QUESTIONS? Thank You

More Related