Peer Specialists
Peer Specialists are frontline mental health workers that are part of the empowering movement to recognize the value of Lived Experience. Lived Experience is defined as having successfully navigated one’s own journey of healing from mental illness, trauma, or addiction. Peer Specialists inspire and guide others on their own mental health journey. A new development in the mental health world, and going by various titles such as Peer Advocate, Recovery Coach, Recovery Specialist, and so on, this highly effective offering that many mental health agencies now employ began as a grassroots movement to recognize strengths in people with mental health diagnoses as they help each other.
It is possible to be happy and healthy while having a mental health diagnosis, trauma or addiction background!
Peer Specialists are living proof of this concept that is so inspiring to people who are currently struggling.
Peer Specialists are people who have Lived Experience with mental health, addiction, and/or trauma concerns, and have successfully engaged with treatment, so that they can now inspire others with their stories of wisdom and inspiration that recovery is real.
They share lessons learned from the school of hard knocks about coping skills, resources, getting through the mental health system, and self-growth. Peers are nonjudgmental and deeply empathetic, having been there themselves. They “get it.”
Want to live of life of helping others?
I Am Living Proof that Recovery is Real: A Guide to Success as a Peer Specialist
is a deeply informative skills guide with interactive exercises for people who want to
enter this exciting field or are new to the work. Written by an author with nearly a decade and a half of experience as a Peer Specialist and Peer Specialist Supervisor in multiple settings, this book takes an empowering strengths-based, person-centered approach to improving the lives of others with your own Lived Experience.
Proceeds from this book benefit the creation of the Ampersand Empowerment Shalimar Center.
Release Date is expected to be early 2024