Peer Support and the Mental Health Crisis

Peer support may help us to confront the mental health crisis head-on

Psychology Today reports that peer support may be the answer to the mental health crisis, and we agree.

There are insufficient mental health resources available to respond to today’s crisis, and there is a huge community of people that want to help, but can’t dedicate their lives to the mission. These people make amazing mental health first aiders, wellbeing champions, trauma support practitioners and more. 

Despite their best intentions, financial and time investments into peer support systems, many organisations are struggling to manage and make effective use of the people they’re training. 

Often volunteer based, already over-prescribed workloads pile up and peer support ends up low on the list. Combine this with the commonly offline approach to monitoring and maintaining these networks, they end up under-utilised. 

Trained and enthusiastic people, ready to give support, are not being made use of, and it’s a hugely wasted opportunity. To reach the people that don’t feel comfortable going to therapy, simply want to get something off their chest, don’t feel comfortable talking to a stranger, or, that are worried about being misunderstood by someone who hasn’t lived through their experiences. 

What is peer support?

Peer support is a frequently used line of defence within organisations, that helps to support those who may have something on their mind, but that don’t necessarily need formal intervention, or, are unlikely to take up formal support.

With the rising popularity of mental health first aid, many corporate businesses have networks of peers, ready to support their colleagues, should they ask for help (or appear as though they’d benefit from a check in). 

How can we help?

At Hapstar, we never want to replace human connection. People need people. However, sometimes, taking that first step can be hard. We’re not sure whether we qualify for someone else’s support, perhaps we’re scared to open up, or just don’t know where to turn. 

Maybe we’re waiting for permission to ask for help. 

In our app and platform, we make sure to encourage people towards certain avenues of support if they appear to be struggling. This is often giving someone the option to anonymously communicate with their wellbeing team, or access a page of helplines and organisation specific support instantly. Sometimes, it’s also recommending that they book in some time with a therapist. 

Not everyone wants to raise something with their wellbeing team, look at emergency resources, or book a therapy session. But we do know that they may want to communicate with one of their peers. 

So we’re going to make it easier for them to get connected. Simple as that. 

We can’t wait to tell you more. 

Putting your own oxygen mask on first…

The other half of this equation is making sure that the champions or peers themselves are still in a solid state of mind to give the support. We need our peer supporters to keep themselves ‘well’. That’s why we are going to give the networks specific questions around their ability to deliver support, open up a safe space for them to review, reflect, refresh on the training they received to become a peer supporter, and finally – give them somewhere to get the conversations they’re having off their chest, safely and securely. 

Knowing how your peer supporters are doing, what it is they’re delivering for your business, and making sure they’re ok personally can make all the difference to an effective peer support system. 

Let us know if you’d like any extra details on what’s to come.