Point Of View
Peer support is a critical part of the path to Results Worth Striving For. We see ourselves as advocates who have direct experience of navigating the path to success. We have the ultimate form of empathy, knowing the condition from both sides: "disorder" and "in order." Having successfully completed the Advantage Program, we are familiar with the processes and points of view of the whole team. A well trained peer can be the important difference between success and a diminished life.
Integration With Team
The peer is the advocate for the client and the translator for the rest of the team members. The client may not fully agree with assessments or treatments advocated by the other team members, but have a hard time communicating such perceptions or issues. Since peers share the client's point of view and also communicate regularly with the other team members, we are in a unique position to speak effectively with both parties. The peer is a critical resource for all involved and is the tie that binds them together.
Assessment Process
The assessment that a peer supporter provides is invaluable to the entire team. It is easier for us to establish trust and empathy because we know what questions to ask and, because of our experiences, can better determine the accuracy of answers. Clients freely admit that they lie to their therapists and families, but tend to be more open with a peer. There is a greater feeling of trust when talking with someone that you know has had the same or similar experiences. As they say, "It takes one to know one!"
The assessment is done via one or more one-to-one interviews that are guided more by establishing rapport than by a fixed set of questions. It is more important to establish open communication than to get a specific result.
The peer assessment brings insights to the team that do not turn up in the other assessments. While psychological and other evaluations focus on specific diagnostic criteria, our focus is on assessing the client's potential strengths. We alleviate the client's fears about the process while helping him/her to see the value in staying with the entire program.
Goal Setting
Peer coaches ensure the goals set by the other team members are reasonable and within the limitations of the current state of the client. At the same time, the unique perspective the peer has from interactions with the client allows the peer to know if the goals are stimulating, engaging, and what the client really wants. Overall, the peer coach balances challenging long term goals with feasible short term goals. The peer knows what the effort feels like firsthand and can inform the whole team about the difficulties at all stages of the process.
Goal setting for the peer is the fun part. The peer is advocating for an extraordinary life that is worth striving for. We have the opportunity to encourage the family and friends on the team that there is hope and that the path outlined can be achieved. They need to see someone who is an example of what their loved one can become and we get to be that example of hope. It is a very rewarding part of the process.
While other team members are specific in their goals, the peer goals are global. Our involvement in the planning process is not specific to any one area. We talk more about breakthroughs and realizations than the more defined milestones like jogging distance or sit-ups completed. The other experts on the team cover the details; we look at the big picture and make sure the sum of the parts does not add up to an overwhelming program.
Treatment
Peers support the client so that they can achieve the goals the client and team members have outlined in the Life Plan. Our role in the treatment phase is accomplished through one-to-one coaching and support groups. One-to-one coaching focuses on individual issues in a private setting. Support groups are meetings with others who share similar goals that are directed by a trained peer facilitator.
One-to-one coaching is not therapy. Issues around medication or topics that are better handled by the other experts are deferred to the appropriate resource. The peer's role is to be the one with empathy that can encourage the client to keep on the path to success. This does not mean that the peer role is somehow less important. To the contrary, the peer is the only one who has been down the path and can recognize where the client is veering off. The peer brings insight to the entire team while being the main cheerleader that keeps the client making the effort.
We meet regularly in person, via phone, or internet to discuss areas in which the client might be struggling. From our unique perspective we are able to offer guidance. If a client has issues or concerns about their treatment program, we work with them on how to improve the program for their individual needs. These discussions enable us to provide valuable feedback to the other team members to make the client's experience even more worthwhile.
Our support groups are topic-based. In a sense they are like mini workshops. Each meeting covers a specific topic in depth and ends with homework to prepare for the next meeting. Support group facilitation takes great skill to be effective. It takes training and experience to keep the conversation on track while getting all participants fully engaged. Being able to "feel the energy" of the group and know when to change activities is more art than science. We use a combination of directed conversations with the whole group, small group discussions in groups of three or four, and individual introspection, all interwoven with lecture, videos, games, and other teaching methods.
The power of well facilitated group work is that it reinforces strength-based learning. The focus is on progress and personal growth. Each person brings different insight that contributes to the understanding and education of others. It also creates important bonds that work outside the group to help each other stay on track. Participants often comment that it is good to know they are not alone. They develop friendships and have a new sense of belonging and hope.
In the support group environment, not only do we have the leader exhibiting a high level of success, but others in the group are examples of the process at different stages of development. This helps all participants see what can be accomplished in the short- as well as long-term. It also lets members see others on the path to success and this builds confidence in their own efforts.
It is important to differentiate between peer support by someone coming from success and what is practiced all too often in the peer support community. If the peer does not have the condition "in order" and is failing in his/her own life, how can the support lead to anything but a similar failure? Walking someone down a path that did not work out will only confuse him/her and strengthen the false belief that we need to accept failure as the outcome.
Many doctors hesitate to send patients to peer support organizations because they see the shortcomings of the approach when done wrong. We have developed a support group model that promises genuine learning and better outcomes.
The most important outcomes of our peer program are having graduates who are examples of success that people can aspire to. Successful peers encourage a responsible approach to improving our lives.
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