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HomeWestern State Hospital Internship Program   Blog   peer support
November 11 2015

Understanding Peer Support as a Profession

Author Susan Vaught Categories Blog, Continuing Education, General Information, Information About Peer Specialists, Resources for Interns 0 Comments

“Recovery is a process of change through which an individual improves one’s health and wellness, lives a self-directed life, and strives to reach their full potential.” This is the current definition of “Recovery” according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It is a broad definition, but an inclusive one.  Full potential varies from person to person.  Living a self-directed life can be tough.

 

What is the role of Peer Support in promoting this definition?  For the most part, Peer Specialists are in what is called Recovery.  It was once mandatory that the specialist be in recovery for two years which meant out of the hospital and with active and successful self-care.  Now, because of the demand of these certified people, the rules have become a little more forgiving for those wanting to reach out to others in order to help promote hope.  There is no definitive time frame that an individual must wait to be a Peer Specialist.

 

Peer Support is reciprocal.  The specialist tries to use the skills he or she has learned to help those struggling, but the act of supporting another person helps the specialist out as well.  It gives a purpose and a reason to interact with other people.  It reminds one what is was like to be in that vulnerable time when first diagnosed; the difficulty in finding the right medication and support is a roadblock to many, and Peer Specialists know that and understand.

 

Peer Support has been shown to help in the process of recovery for those with serious mental illness.  Some Peer Specialists work exclusively with those struggling with substance abuse problems. There are also programs for specific populations, including Veterans.  With the requirement of continuing education, Peer Specialists must stay on top of current issues concerning mental health.  The program is quickly spreading in popularity, especially since it is now Medicaid billable.  For any questions, or if you know of a patient that may eventually enjoy providing such services, just let me know.

 

Rebecca Coursey, KPS
Peer Support Specialist

August 08 2015

Managing My Illness?

Author Susan Vaught Categories Continuing Education, Information About Peer Specialists, Mental Health and Wellness, Resources for Interns 0 Comments

How do I manage my illnesses?  I go to my psychiatrist for tune-ups when I need it, and otherwise keep regular appointments with her.  I go to my therapist as needed, and at one time was going weekly after my last hospitalization.  The truth is…I don’t do all that I’m supposed to do all of the time.  Why not?  Because LIFE.  I’m honest about it. I know what I’m SUPPOSED to be doing.  I know what I did to get healthy. I know what I have to do to stay healthy….just sometimes, I don’t do those things, for various reasons. It shows up in my mental health.

 

As patients come in and out of the hospital, it may be frustrating to see the cycle.  It may seem so simple to the average person.  Just take your medicine.  Go to your doctors.  Why is it so hard?  Because LIFE.  I understand this.  I am married to a very supportive person.  He takes over the household responsibilities when I’m not doing well.  If I have an exhausting day, he’s there to cook dinner for my two children, while he gives me time to rest.  Not everyone has that.

 

I don’t always eat healthy meals, like I’m supposed to. The other day, I ate an Arby’s sausage biscuit for breakfast, a double cheeseburger from McDonald’s for lunch, and Taco Bell for supper.  I’m still alive somehow.  I don’t always get enough sleep, like I’m supposed to.  I get too busy to make appointments with my therapist when I need to go.  I try to be Super Mom to my kids, a Band Mom to 48 high school band kids, and work full time.  Who has time to go to doctors, even if the therapist will see me on Saturday, which he will? That’s not an excuse, or shouldn’t be for me.  It is incredibly easy to forget that I am not quite like everybody else, as much as I like to feel like I am.  I can’t short-cut my health, or I might end up hospitalized again.  Bipolar I is a serious mental illness, and I have it.

 

Medicine gets stolen (truly).  Cars get flat tires and appointments are missed.  Life gets overwhelming, especially when the mentally ill person has no one supporting them.  It takes work to be a productive person who lives a self-directed life if one has a serious mental illness.  Sometimes, despite good intentions and efforts, forces beyond the person’s control may keep the person from doing what he or she needs to do to become healthy.  If you know someone with a mental illness, giving them a little support might make a world of difference.

 

Rebecca Coursey, KPS
Peer Support Specialist

July 07 2015

Peer Support and Holistic Recovery

Author Susan Vaught Categories Blog, Continuing Education, Information About Peer Specialists, Mental Health and Wellness, Resources for Interns 0 Comments

Peer Support not only involves asking open, honest questions and listening, but it also involves modeling recovery.  The certification gained through training does not guarantee that the Peer Support Specialist will be able to effectively model recovery to an individual.  There are a few things that go into modeling recovery that a Peer Specialist may not think about, but are important.

 

An holistic approach to recovery by definition means that it involves the entire life of a person.  Community, family, body, spirit, and mind are interconnected in recovery, and in order to recover from a mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder, all must be considered important.  This is difficult to model and is a delicate balance to maintain.  The Peer Specialist must do so to prove recovery is possible.

 

How can a Peer Specialist maintain this challenge?  He or she can participate in community-based support groups or volunteer.  He or she can do yoga or meditation to balance the stress of the mind and body. A hobby is also a great way to deal with stress. If spiritual, attending church, or maybe just regularly praying, is an idea.  Eating a healthy diet and exercising is also a great way to model recovery.

 

All of the things listed above can be described to someone with whom the Peer Specialist is working.  Recovery isn’t just about leaving behind a drug or alcohol addiction; it encompasses the entire being and moves past the label of “mentally ill.”  We must take care of our mind, body, and spirit to move on to brighter days.  A Peer Specialist must try to model this to others

 

Rebecca Coursey, KPS
Peer Support Specialist

April 04 2015

Changing the expectations of those with mental illness

Author Danielle McNeill Categories Blog, Information About Peer Specialists 0 Comments

 

 

It is important to ask the question, do we BELIEVE that the person we are working with can live a productive life?  At times it can be hard to do so.  The amount of trauma some individuals have faced in their lives, along with illnesses once thought to be disabling, add to the thoughts of some that maybe, just maybe, the best this person can do is stay out of the hospital.

 

The thought process connected to this must change in order to best serve the patient.  As a Peer Support Specialist, I go into it with the memories of the once overwhelming and nearly incapacitating effects of Bipolar Disorder I and PTSD.  I remember the long road and struggle to get well after diagnoses.  The bouncing back and forth from stable to symptomatic was frustrating until I found the right combination of medication. I also look at my life now and know that I can live a productive life.  If I can, why can’t other patients in this hospital?

 

A “productive” life can look differently to every individual.  Productive to some might mean volunteering; to others the word might mean staying sober.  Others may return to work and pursue a career like Kay Redfield Jamison, a well-known psychologist and author who writes about her own journey with Bipolar Disorder.  My victory was getting my degree and returning to employment.  I’m not cured by any means.  I still must work at it, as I tell the patients (peers) with whom I speak.  I go to my psychiatrist, my therapist, I watch my sleep patterns, and I try to manage my stress levels.

 

To some the goal may be to simply stay out of the hospital, but we must believe they can achieve beyond that.  Rebuilding their self-image and instilling hope may help make them realize that there IS life after diagnoses.  Others have done it successfully. A mental illness can become a small part of a person’s life.

 

Rebecca Coursey, KPS

Peer Support Specialist

 

March 03 2015

Effective Listening and Peer Support

Author Susan Vaught Categories Information About Peer Specialists, Mental Health and Wellness, Resources for Interns 0 Comments

Effective Listening and Peer Support Services The Peer Support Specialist uses “Effective Listening” techniques when working with his or her peers (patients).  According to the Kentucky Peer Support training, the difference between listening and “effective” listening is that we know what we are listening for; there are cues that guide the questions we will ask.  We try to discern the person’s current self-image, what the person thinks would improve his or her life and what he or she thinks is standing in the way of those goals.  Self-image, goals, and barriers are simple things to listen for actively.

 
It can be hard to really listen.  We try to interrupt with advice, judgments, criticisms, or comparative stories of our own, or even feel the need to one-up the person.  Effective listening means there may be moments of silence.  That is okay.  The Peer Support person’s role is to guide the peer into listening to his or her own inner truth with open, honest questions.  These questions go by the old rules of journalism: who, what, where, when, how…but “why” is never involved.  “Why” can make people defensive.  Honest questions mean that one doesn’t already know the answer.  The patient may feel his or her intelligence insulted by such questions.

 
The next time you have a conversation with a friend, try using these techniques.  It can be difficult!  Try to do as a Peer Specialist and don’t fix, save, advise, judge, or set the person straight.  Just listen and ask honest, non-judgmental questions.  It is interesting how much people really appreciate it.

 

Rebecca Coursey, KPS
Peer Support Specialist

 

“Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.”

SAMHSA