Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters, and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, listening, or counseling. Peer support is also used to refer to initiatives where colleagues, members of self-help organizations and others meet as equals to give each other support on a reciprocal basis. Peer in this case is taken to imply that each person has no more expertise as a supporter than the other and the relationship is one of equality.
A peer has "been there, done that" and can relate to others who are now in a similar situation. Trained peer support workers are required to obtain Continuing Education Units, like clinical staff.
Read more about Peer Support: Underlying Theory, Peer Support in Mental Health, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words peer and/or support:
“I peer eagerly into every gap in a fence of a zipper.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“In erotic love, two people who were separate become one. In motherly love, two people who were one become separate. The mother must not only tolerate, she must wish and support the child’s separation.”
—Erich Fromm (20th century)