Tips for involving peers on treatment teams

CrossCurrents

 

In 2008, Vermont Psychiatric Survivors and the Vermont Council of Developmental and Mental Health Services held a forum on the integration of peer services into the community mental health system, which culminated in the development of a report called Integrating Peer Services in Community and Inpatient Settings in Vermont's Mental Health System of Care.

Here are some recommendations from the report:

• Prepare clinical staff. This involves many layers of training on a variety of subjects to prepare staff for working with peer support workers on formal treatment teams.
  
  
• Good job descriptions should be developed prior to hiring, and allowances should be made for flexibility and revision of responsibilities after peers are hired.
  
  
• Positions should be placed at appropriate levels of supervision. Make sure supervisors are strong supporters of the peer role.
  
  
• There is a need for advisory and support groups for peers in these positions, both within and outside hospitals.
  
  
• More than one peer specialist should be hired for any given setting, particularly if they are hired in an entry-level position.
  
  
• Ensure a good interview process throughout the hiring process and include task-oriented questions (e.g., What would they do in a given situation?)
  

For the full, free report, which included tips for hiring and working with peer support workers, visit www.healthvermont.gov/mh/documents/forumreportfinal.pdf

 

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