A person’s substance use disorder (SUD) or mental health recovery journey may include a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychiatrist, or other trained professionals.

It can also include a peer support specialist. Peer support specialists have similar life experiences with the people they serve. For example, they may also be in recovery or they might be parenting a child with an SUD or mental health diagnosis. Peer support specialists may work in community settings or in inpatient treatment care settings.

Equality and empowerment

“Unlike clinical roles, which focus on diagnosis, treatment planning, and symptom management within a hierarchical framework, peer support is based on equality, shared understanding, and empowerment,” says Malcolm Aquinas, a peer support specialist at Oregon State Hospital (OHS). “It emphasizes hope, recovery, and self-determination, operating from the belief that people are experts in their own lives and capable of creating meaningful change and making meaning from their life experiences.” Aquinas began his career as a peer support specialist at OSH 15 years ago and currently coordinates OSH’s Sjolander Empowerment Center, a respite center on the hospital’s grounds where patients who receive treatment at OSH can experience a less structured and relaxed environment.

Understanding and a bridge to resources

Peer support specialists are a bridge between treatment care providers and community resources – helping others navigate what can be a complex system, say Jordan Avila and Lex Rogers, who both work as peer support specialists with Deschutes County Behavioral Health.

“While at the foundation peers have a framework to work from, the role itself is a spectrum,” explains Avila. “My role specifically works with those in a mandated setting, so I visit people in jail and at the Oregon State Hospital, while others may be specific to medical care, substance use treatment, or residential care. I also work in community settings with those who are going through a legal process. The primary goal being to support them with completing their process while also helping to connect them with needed community and treatment resources via being a person who understands their struggles and can walk with them through it no matter what the outcome.”

Modeling hope

Ultimately, peer support specialists model that hope and recovery are possible, says Rogers.

“It is a unique role in which my personal struggles and accomplishments throughout treatment for serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) are important aspects of my résumé, rather than education and work experience alone,” Rogers says. “I teach and encourage self-advocacy, autonomy on a practical and philosophical level, and elevate their voice in treatment team meetings. Having the experience of being a client in this system allows me a unique perspective for what barriers clients may face and I adhere to the principle of ‘the client is the expert of their own self.’”

(The full comments from these peer support specialists can be found below.)

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