Abstract
Providing peer support to individuals with psychiatric disabilities has emerged as a promising modality of mental health services. These services are delivered by individuals who experience mental illnesses themselves. The purpose of this study was to explore how working as a peer provider can enhance personal recovery. The study was conducted with 31 peer providers employed in a variety of mental health agencies. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Qualitative analysis revealed a wide range of recovery benefits for the peer providers. The benefits span across five wellness domains: foundational, emotional, spiritual, social, and occupational. In addition, analysis revealed five role-related and five work-environment-related mechanisms of beneficial impact. The role of sharing one's personal story is highlighted as contributing to positively reauthoring one's self-narrative. Implications for peer training, job development, and workplace supports are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 304-319 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Qualitative Health Research |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Mar 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- health and well-being
- health care professionals
- lived experience
- mental health and illness
- recovery
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health