You have full access to this open access article. Peer support approaches are gaining increasing importance within the mental health sector as an effective way to assist people with mental and addictive disorders. It aims to gain a deeper understanding of peer support approaches and their underlying motivations in an innovative context. Results showed that voluntary engagement fulfills a heterogeneous range of functions for peer support volunteers.
Furthermore, the context of employment promotion played a motivational role: Many interview partners aimed to transform counseling structures within the institutions they had experienced as clients themselves. I know from life how it feels when you are stuck in the middle of this addiction, how difficult it is, especially in the first year, when you change your life then and all the things you have to face. Transcript 1, Pos. Getting people with personal experiences of mental and addictive disorders involved in support and counseling structures is gaining increasing importance within mental health institutions and other sectors of the social systemβboth in Germany and internationally.
The term peer support describes a type of assistance provided by persons who have gone through similar experiences or similar life situations as those receiving it Lanquentin, , p. The transmission of personally lived through experiences, which differ from and exceed knowledge-based expertise, can lead to new perspectives and new hope Lawn et al. Empirical research shows that clients who participate in peer support programs experience a high level of satisfaction with the support they receive Brauckmann et al.
The term peer support unites a wide range of different approachesβextending from rather informal settings of mutual support to highly formalized counseling settings Lloyd-Evans et al. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the specific approach referred to in this article. Their main purpose is to promote work integration and provide income support for unemployed people who are not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. Empirical findings show that especially the target group of unemployed people with mental and addictive disorders often does not find supportive structures within job centers, but is at risk of experiencing permanent exclusion from the labor market and other areas of society Oschmiansky et al.
Peers, who experienced mental illness or addiction themselves, receive a 5-day training and work on a voluntary basis. The voluntary nature of the engagement is ensured by the connection to an external association and the peer support volunteers can end their commitment at any time without negative consequences.
