Peer Support
Peer support is available to you if you have a mental health illness and live in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough.
A peer advocate is a trained volunteer who has similar experiences to you and so can understand the situation you are in.
Peer advocates support you to have a voice about the issues that matter to you.
What will my peer advocate do?
Your peer advocate will:
- encourage you
- support you practically (for example by calling people, writing letters, finding out information on the internet etc)
- share their experiences with you if you want them to
- help you to get something positive from your experience
Peer advocacy is a two-way relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Many people who have worked with a peer advocate become peer advocates themselves as they develop their skills and confidence.
I want to be a peer advocate – What will I get out of it?
Being a peer advocate can be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience. Not only will you be helping someone else develop his or her skills but you will get a lot from it, too.
The training you will receive can give you new skills and allow you the opportunity to develop your existing skills. Peer advocates experience increasing levels of empowerment, self-esteem and increased confidence that they are doing well.
