Hawaii Vet 2 Vet
EDUCATION FOR REINTEGRATION
Hawaii Vet 2 Vet Inc
Honolulu, HI 96813
mikepeac
Origin of This Overview
The origin of this overview is the White Paper
"Identification of Best Practices in Peer Support Programs"
Produced when the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) explored how to most effectively apply peer support in a military environment.
You can contact us and we will email you an electronic copy.
Visit the official website of the Military Health System Health.mil
What is Peer Support ?
Peer support is assistance provided by a person who shares a common experience with someone else. Peer supporters "speak the same language" as those they are helping as a result of shared experience(s), which fosters an environment of trust and credibility.
What Peer Support Can Do
Peer Support can also, foster social networking, Improve the quality of life, promote wellness, and Improve coping skills. Peer Support can increase acceptance of an illness and or situation as well as Improve Compliance (e.g., medication adherence). This leads to reduced concerns and Increased satisfaction with health status.
Key Components for Peer Support
As a result of reviewing existing peer-to-peer support programs (inside and outside of the military) we have outlined potential options for how the military community could continue to offer peer support. Adequate training must be provided to peer supporters so they are able to:
1. Identify and be aware of signs of stress.
2. Know when to reach out to others for assistance.
3. Facilitate referrals to additional resources
A program must also be able to follow through with individuals to monitor improvements and continue to offer opportunities for growth. Individuals also must feel safe to use the program, and Strong Confidentiality agreements must be in place.
Using Peers in Recovery
A Recovery-based Peer-to-Peer program could potentially provide stability in a transitional period (e.g., return to active-duty status, or reintegration into civilian community). Our program overlaps into these three areas..,
1. Treatment team--VA hires veterans as peer support technicians and uses volunteers to be a part of the case management team and or recovery process for veterans with psychological health and or drug and alcohol issues.
2. Education--Vet 2 Vet is a consumer/provider partnership where trained veterans lead educational group sessions at facilities that offer VA mental health services.
3. Social Support through transition--The Hawaii Vet 2 Vet program has been integrated with DBSA Honolulu to create an opportunity for peer support technicians to develope social support groups that will become a constant in the life of the veteran and or family member in recovery.
Our Brief Summary
Peer support as an intervention leverages shared experience to foster trust, decrease stigma and create a sustainable forum for seeking help and sharing information about recovery support resources and positive coping strategies.
Screening and Selection Criteria for Peer Supporters
Effective peer supporters typically possess a range of skills and competencies across key knowledge domains, therefore adequate screening for a peer supporter is critical. Commonly desired traits are superb communication and listening skills, as well as demonstrated leadership ability or potential. The ability to stay calm under pressure, and previous experience or training also adds value to the applicant.
Continued Learning and Training
To ensure consistency and confidence in peer supporters, training needs to be developed that is specific and associated with the defined role of the peer supporter. Two highly regarded training programs are the Georgia Peer Support Certification Project and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) on site training programs.
Interconnected Benefits Derived from Peer Support
Peer Support provides benefits to the individual participant, peer supporter, health care system and the surrounding community. This dynamic created from the intergration of peer and professional services created the need for a National Standard to insure that veterans in recovery recieved quality service at all points in the recovery process. Thru research the DCoE and the VA have created these..,
Thrity-Three Critical Competencies for VA Peer Support
Addressing Stigma
Managing internalized stigma
Managing environmental stigma
Communications Skills
Effective listening and asking questions
Communication styles and verbal and nonverbal communication
Conflict resolution
Cultural Competence
Understand how ethnicity, race, spirituality, gender, sexual orientation, local community and other sub-cultures may influence recovery.
Group Facilitation Skills
Understanding group dynamics and interactions.
Knowing how to use support groups
Managing Crisis and Emergency Situations
Early warning signs of illness' symptoms worsening
Crisis prevention, using resources early
Crisis interventions
An understanding of suicide prevention
Ability to work through challenging situations with veterans who are under the influence of substances, angry, in psychosis or a non-verbal state
Personal safety issues
Peer Support Principles
Being a role model
Instilling hope
Being an advocate
Knowing principal duties of peer support staff
Professional Development and Workplace Skills
Ethics
Boundry issues and dual relationships
Ability to work effectively with professionals on an interdisciplinary team
Recovery Tools
Solving problems using solution-focused strategies
Telling your personal recovery story, being mindful of who you are addressing
Participating in self-help groups
Teaching others how to manage self-help and combat negitive self talk
Recovery Principles
Overview of psycho-social rehabilitation
Components of recovery
Stages of recovery
Peer support role in psycho-social rehabilitation
Understanding Different Illnesses
Major psychiatric conditions in DSM IV
Addictive disorders
Co-occurring disorders
Medications and side effects
Our Final Words
These 33 competencies have been developed and adopted by the VA ensuring consistency in the training received by future peer supporters. Content-based, Topic-based, and Skills-based training are combined with mock group scenarios enabling the future peer supporter to learn how to respond to challenging peer interactions.
(DCoE Webinar Best Practices in Peer-to-Peer Support Programs)
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Copyright 2009,2019
Updated by Mike Peacock 18 November 2020 Hawaii Vet 2 Vet.
All rights reserved.
Hawaii Vet 2 Vet Inc
Honolulu, HI 96813
mikepeac