Peer Support Services

What is Peer Support?  

Peer support is when people with shared lived experiences of mental health challenges support one another. It’s built on equality, empathy, and mutual understanding rather than a clinical or hierarchical relationship.​

It’s not therapy, and it doesn’t try to replace professional care. Instead, it offers something different – a connection with someone who truly gets it – this complements professional care well.​

What makes peer support unique:​

• Shared experience: support comes from someone who has “been there,” which can reduce shame and isolation
• Mutuality: both people contribute; it’s not a one-way dynamic
• Empathy over expertise: the power comes from understanding, not diagnosing or instructing
• Hope and empowerment: seeing someone further along in their recovery can make healing feel more possible
• Choice and self-direction: peer support respects that people know what they need and can make their own decisions

The Peer Support we offer:

Groups: 

Group peer support entails the gathering of three or more individuals to provide mutual emotional assistance. Various approaches can be adopted, ranging from organised groups with designated roles and structured activities, to more relaxed and informal get-togethers. 

Currently, all the groups are ongoing with no limits on the session, and all are facilitated by trained staff.

One to one: 

One-on-one peer support can occur face-to-face, via video call, or through telephone assistance. It involves a reciprocal interaction between two individuals during structured sessions, where one participant has undergone specific training, such as mentoring skills. The focus is on discovering methods to manage emotional challenges. 

1-to-1 sessions, are between a peer and a trained mentor with life experience and will be conducted for a restricted number of sessions (8 weeks, 8 sessions) Please note – if you are currently engaging with talking therapies or counselling, you are unable to access 1-2-1 Peer support sessions.

The various areas of Peer Support encompass:

• Social emphasis
• Activity emphasis
• Emphasis on exchanging mental health experiences
• Educational emphasis

Weekly Schedule