Six Strategies for Staying Faithful to The Peer Support Specialist Role

As a healthcare provider, I know that new clients are always asking themselves whether I genuinely care about them.  They are rightly concerned that healthcare providers may be there for other motives:  to get a paycheck, to be “the expert” who tells others what to do, etc.  Recent research has found that this distrust is not uncommon and is unfortunately growing.  The distrust of clinicians is one of the factors that make Peer Support Specialists particularly valuable in healthcare.  Because Peer Support Specialists have personal experience with illness, they are often seen by clients as more likely to truly understand and care about them.  But that trust is fragile.

 I worked with a volunteer Peer Support Specialist who taught me a great deal about the importance of that trust.  This was a retired Veteran who was passionate about serving as a Peer Support Specialist for other Veterans.  He insisted that he be a volunteer Peer Support Specialist, while others were being paid.  “I don’t want my clients thinking I have any agenda for being here other than to help them!”   He also wanted to feel, and to appear free to say whatever he thought was true without fear of losing income.  For him, peer support was all about trust.

It is true that getting paid as a Peer Support Specialist creates a “dual relationship” with your clients.  You are there to help them but you are also an employee who is there to get paid.  Life is full of dual relationships, but that does not mean that we should not pay close attention to them or that they can’t undermine us.  Getting paid will naturally tend to change how you feel about your work. It can subtly influence your focus on the welfare of your clients. 

How can you protect yourself?  Consider the following strategies:

1.     Maintain your awareness of your motives for being a Peer Support Specialist.  Without that honest self-awareness, you are likely to lose your way.  Find ways to revisit this issue so that you can track any changes in your motives.

2.     Develop and maintain plans for what you will do if you were asked to support something you thought was not good for your clients.  This is a challenging situation, and without plans you are likely to respond ineffectively or not respond at all.  When the situation arises, and it will, refer back to your plan to guide your response.

3.     Talk openly with co-workers and supervisors about these dual relationships.  The risk that they will compromise your decisions is highest when you don’t keep an open awareness of them.  Talking with others is a great way to keep everyone aware.

4.     Use a daily or weekly routine that reminds you of your ultimate purpose.  I start each workday with a 5-minute reminder that the recovery of my clients is my “North Star”.  Every other agenda is secondary to that North Star.  Other agendas that may try to take the role of your ”North Star” include: (A) your pay, (B) your professional ambition and reputation, (C) your comfort, (D) your desire for approval from others, (E) your fear of disapproval from others, and (F) your relationship with your supervisor and your co-workers.

  5.     When you see something slip, take action to correct it.  It is only natural that you will slip at times, and make choices that reflect the importance of other agendas.  When you spot those slips, talk about that openly with others, and take action to correct them.

6.     Stay proud of your role as a Peer Support Specialist, and of your dedication to your work.  Help others to see the need to stay focused on your North Star.  By doing so, you’ll ensure your clients get the help they truly need, when they need it.

KEY WORDS: Peer Support Specialist Role, Recovery, Fidelity, Peer Support, Peer Support Training, Peer Support Certification, Peer Support Jobs

Previous
Previous

Six Strategies for Coordination Between Peer Support Specialists and Community-Based Peer Support Groups

Next
Next

Seven Ways that Peer Support Specialists Can Address the Trend in Distrust of Healthcare Professionals and Organizations