What is the system challenge?
Within the mental health system, peers are historically disempowered and defined by labels associated with their mental health status. They experience paternalistic and sometimes harmful treatments from a system that often fails to provide opportunities for better social inclusion. Creating meaningful opportunities for peers to contribute to a range of decision-making processes helps services better respond to service user needs. Peer experience is expertise; peers have a unique firsthand perspective about what works well and what needs improvement.
Within the mental health system, peers are historically disempowered and defined by labels associated with their mental health status. They experience paternalistic and sometimes harmful treatments from a system that often fails to provide opportunities for better social inclusion.
Creating meaningful opportunities for peers to contribute to a range of decision-making processes helps services better respond to service user needs. Peer experience is expertise; peers have a unique firsthand perspective about what works well and what needs improvement.
At the core of the Peer Positive approach is a commitment to developing strong personal and organizational understandings of how power, privilege, oppression, and equity shape every aspect of peer and professional relationships. The practical work of engaging peers in the design, delivery, and review of services is guided by deliberate efforts to re-balance relationships between peers and professionals.
Peer Positive is based on three foundational core components:
- Peer Involvement: Meaningfully involving people with lived experience in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of mental health and social services is crucial to creating more responsive and empowering service experiences.
- Spaces to Reflect on Power and Equity: Designating time and space for reflection on power and equity can help to embed a greater awareness of how these issues impact peer involvement in decision-making into the culture of the organization. Accountable Mechanisms of Feedback and Response: When peers can actively evaluate services through a variety of avenues, services are more likely to remain relevant and effective. Responding to feedback transparently and in a timely manner allows service users to build confidence while ensuring that services are held accountable to improving by applying the feedback.
How do we know it works?
“Being able to connect with peers and to opportunities. Through being part of this group I learned a lot more about the system than I had known before. I have now that perspective to add to everything I’ve learned. Being part of a group and say something that can be taken serious.”
— Peer Participant
services providers, peers, and community members were trained in the concepts and practice approaches of the Peer Positive initiative.
It was so enriching to see people who identified as peers step into new and different roles, no matter what they were. I have seen many people change positively because they were supported to take risks and challenge themselves.
— Interview with a Service Provider
organizations pilot-tested the Peer Positive initiative.
“Peer Positive allows a dynamic shift where those community and individuals within the communities are thought of as experts.”
— Service Provider Participant
Who is involved?
- Leave Out Violence Ontario
- York University’s Mental Health Disability Services
- Hong Fook Mental Health Association
- Elizabeth Fry Toronto
- Jamaican Canadian Association
- Provincial System Support Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Next steps
Responsibility for the Peer Positive initiative has been handed over to an independent Steering Committee, who are exploring future funding options.