Peer Support

The primary focus of CMHA Moose Jaw, is peer support.

What is Peer Support?

“Peer support is a supportive relationship between people who have a lived experience in common. This support provides both an emotional and social support to others. The commonality may not be in relation to a specific challenge or illness, but rather to the struggle and emotional pain that can accompany the feeling of loss and/or hopelessness due to a mental illness.

We recognize that each person is unique in their experience and path towards recovery. According to Toward Recovery and Well-Being, A Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada, peer support is deep rooted the idea that hope is the starting point from which a journey of recovery must begin. Peer support workers can inspire hope and demonstrate the possibility of recovery. They are valued for their genuineness because they can relate to the challenge and have found their way to recovery. Recovery does not necessarily mean “cure”, but focuses on people recovering a quality of life in their community while striving to look for their strengths and achieve wellness that includes their relationships, their involvement within community, their general wellbeing and a sense of empowerment. It also focuses on health and recovery rather than illness and disability.

Peer support can be provided in both group and one-to-one relationships, and can take place in community groups, clinical settings, and workplaces. This range of accessibility is important since living with a mental health problem or illness, or living with a loved one who has a mental health challenge, influences a person’s day-to-day interactions in their communities, clinics, workplaces and more.

The person who is seeking support is considered a “peer,” not only because of challenges related to mental health, but also due to a past or current connection with the community, clinical setting or workplace.

Regardless of its setting, peer support is considered to have value, either on its own or as a complement to clinical care. For some, peer support may bring all aspects of a person’s journey towards recovery into view. The peer support relationship may be the first step that an individual takes towards recovery, or it may be introduced years into a person’s journey towards wellness. The specifics of a peer support relationship will be a unique experience for each individual”.

The primary focus of CMHA Moose Jaw, is peer support.  Broadly speaking, our peer support programming falls into one of three categories:

One on one
Someone who has a goal can meet one-on-one with a peer supporter.

Telephone check-in
This is for isolated people, or people who otherwise can not come to programs, but are seeking support.

Group peer support
Within the group support category, we have several different programs.

• OSI (Occupational Stress Injury) Support Group – Weekly
• Family & Friends – Monthly
• High Functioning Autistic Group – Monthly
• General Mental Health Group – Three times a week

For more information about any of the programming offered by CMHA Moose Jaw, please do not hesitate to contact us.