Peer Support

Practitioners and public leaders identify methods and barriers for integrating those diagnosed with mental health issues into community life.

A new study examines the benefits of collaborating with mental health consumers in research.

As an increasing amount of research seeks to address the epidemic of loneliness, conceptual clarity is needed.

Study questions how international psychiatric treatment of street children in Cairo could be reinforcing their marginality and vulnerability.

A new study explores feelings of belongingness as a protective factor for childhood trauma and adult mental health outcomes.

An updated meta-analysis reveals that therapist empathy is a predictor of better psychotherapy outcomes.

Study explores a multifaceted approach to promote family-focused recovery practice.

New research emphasizes the impact of school connectedness and community engagement interventions on students' mental health.

A qualitative study explores young adults’ childhood bullying experiences.

I'm drained by talking to people who might be first discovering basic truths about the mental health system that I've been aware of for over 15 years. But my excitement comes alive when I consult with people recently off of psychiatric meds who are interested in doing work similar to me, mentoring others about coming off of psych drugs.

A new study explores the interplay between social stress and quality of life for individuals self-identified with high-functioning autism.

Trauma-informed approaches have the potential to promote recovery but must involve survivors and service-users to prevent the experience of retraumatization within psychiatric and mental health services.

I remember clearly thinking, “I’m done. I’m not putting myself through this again.” I wasn’t going to settle for the side effects of a marginally better than placebo treatment again. Here is a brief look into my rollercoaster journey of recovery, returning to work, having my trauma re-triggered, finding a way through, and finally living well.

Direct access to care in safe locations is key in reducing healthcare costs and increasing quality of life for homeless populations.

It's time to stop blocking progress and give peer-run organizations the same access to the funding streams used by Community Mental Health Centers. There is no reason to give more money to the people who have had all the money all along and can't solve the problems. Open up the competition, and then see what kind of amazing developments occur.

New research demonstrates the benefits and complexities for immigrants transitioning from undocumented to DACA status.

Peer Workers are actively organizing in New York City. This is significant because the mental health system is failing Peer Workers on so many fronts, and it’s long overdue that we start organizing support for ourselves. Peer work started from a social movement on the streets and has ended up a marginalized and co-opted role in a broken system.

A randomized control trial finds that receiving peer support from individuals with similar lived experiences reduces one’s risk of readmission to an acute crisis unit.

The suicide crisis is real. The pain is real. The deaths are real. None of us can afford to stick our heads in the sand and pretend that this isn't happening. But the helplessness and confusion about what to do about it are also real. And that's why peer relationships and peer-developed modalities can be so helpful. Many of us have been there and are still alive to talk about it. We know what ways of relating gave us hope and helped us to continue on.

What if the key to saving someone is to admit you are powerless to save anyone at all? What would that beckon us to change? A few years ago, I spent a substantial amount of time talking with a man who entered my life because someone in the mental health system told him I might be the one who could save him (or at least, that’s how he heard it). His name was David.

A new review highlights the effects that psychiatric diagnosis has on children and adolescents’ social relationships and views of self.

If I had a clinical problem, why was something as ancient and simple as meditation helping me? And if normal positive human habits could be so profoundly useful, why the heck was the field marketing pills and “clinical” coping mechanisms to me instead? This frustration helped me jump ship from the medical mindset and hop into the world of humanity.

Researcher and former service-user Diana Rose utilizes a participatory research process to examine experiences on inpatient wards.

Coordinated care with employment support and family therapy leads to superior outcomes for those diagnosed with psychotic disorders.

Scholars call for international mental health nurse curriculum to shift to a rights-based approach and teach the Power Threat Meaning Framework.