When Patients Become Counsellors: The Importance of Peer Counselling

Psychiatric therapy is not only provided by experts with licenses (doctors and nurses) but also by persons who had experienced mental health problem themselves. Called “peers”, these people have suffered from mental health or substance-abuse problems, but they successfully completed treatment already or nearing its completion. Their valuable experience makes them useful to recovering patients, and to health care providers themselves.

Like alcoholics anonymous whose previously-alcoholic members help one another combat alcoholism, peer counselling in mental health can provide better understanding and in-depth intervention to those who have mental health issues. Peers may somehow understand the patient because they have gone through the condition itself, and by bridging communication to medical providers, it could help improve therapeutic care for more effective effect.

In addition, being a peer can be therapeutic to a person whose therapy is near completion. Acknowledging that you’ve helped someone is a dramatic and a fulfilling experience. It can be a drive for the convalescing mentally-ill patient to comply to therapy in order to help others with the same condition to be well, and that alone is a very good reason to live normally again. No medicine or therapy can bring such fulfilment.

One aspect that makes peers very useful is during cases of mental illness coupled with drug abuse. Most mental health sufferers often abuse opioids, stimulants, narcotics or illegal psychoactive substances. Treatment for mental disorders and substance abuse is separated and handled by different institutions in the United States, therefore making mental health care very fragmented. Former-sufferers-turned-peers can fill gaps of treatment, filling an important niche that is easily overlooked. Peers are real evidence and proof that recovery is possible and real.

However, such practice is rarer nowadays compared to years before. Many doctors are opposed to this practice and case workers have questioned to its effectiveness. But recently, experts are looking again for peer-counselling due to rising medical costs and cases of mental disorders.

It is common to train and certify peer counsellors before they gone to practice. They can reduce costs of healthcare because peer counselling need fewer experts. Practice can be done through personal and group meetings, or can be done online. Peer counselling also teaches patients to view their experiences as a possible way to help others.

 

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