Peer Support in Mental Health webinar: Evidence, Experiences & Insights

The Mental Elf

Explore the role of peer support in mental health & gain fresh insights into the current national landscape, guided by compelling research.

This webinar will focus on the evolving role of peer support in mental health services across England, drawing on new research from by the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/research/mental-health-policy-research-unit" title="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/research/mental-health-policy-research-unit" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health</a> (MHPRU) at UCL and Kings College London. It includes the latest findings on mental health peer support using <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-024-03260-y" title="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-024-03260-y" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">one of the largest umbrella reviews</a> of peer support to date and from a nationwide qualitative study of the experiences of paid peer support workers across the mental health sector in England. Peer support worker roles, in which workers draw on their own lived experience to provide support for others, are diversifying and multiplying across the statutory and the third sector in the UK. However, there is not yet a consensus on the best ways of ensuring that they can make effective and independent use of their own lived experience and are well-supported in satisfying and sustainable roles. Such an understanding is crucial for the further development of peer support. Peer support workers and recipients, researchers in relevant fields service commissioners, and mental health professionals will gain valuable takeaways through presentations and discussions: <ul><li>Practical Insights: we'll be describing how peer support roles are implemented in practice, what dynamics arise in the NHS and elsewhere in integration in teams, of team integration may be, and the essential support structures that help peer support</li><li>How to Strike the Right Balance: we'll discuss the balance between professional and experiential expertise and between independence and integration, highlighting effective practices and key gaps in current support models.</li><li>What is Helping or Hindering: we'll explore the findings from current literature on the help and hindrances faced by peer support workers, and the unique contributions they bring to recovery-focused services.</li><li>Directions for Commissioning Services: we'll describe the evidence that is available to shape commissioning and service delivery and making suggestions about how to shape commissioning priorities to create sustainable, impactful peer support services.</li></ul> MHPRU researchers and other leaders in this field will be speaking, including: <ul><li><a href="https://www.city.ac.uk/about/people/academics/steve-gillard" title="https://www.city.ac.uk/about/people/academics/steve-gillard" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Prof Steve Gillard</a> of City and St George's of Mental Health Research at the University of London - who leads an internationally recognised NIHR-funded research program on peer support in mental health services, exploring innovative approaches and peer-led interventions.</li><li><a href="https://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/people/fiona-lobban(3ed642c3-ecad-4ef0-a011-198a4181752d).html" title="https://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/people/fiona-lobban(3ed642c3-ecad-4ef0-a011-198a4181752d).html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Prof Fiona Lobban</a> of Lancaster University - a clinical psychologist and international leader in developing and researching innovative psychosocial interventions, including based on peer-to peer interaction.</li><li><a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/una-foye" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/una-foye" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Una Foye</a>, <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/ruth-cooper" title="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/ruth-cooper" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr. Ruth Cooper</a> (post-doc researchers) and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-lyons-7a241368/" title="https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-lyons-7a241368/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Natasha Lyons</a> (lived experience research fellow) - MHPRU researchers (past and present) who have had leading roles in our research programme on peer support.</li><li>MHPRU lived experience researchers - Co-producers of this work will bring invaluable insights and perspectives on how this research is grounded in real-world experiences and truly reflective of the communities we aim to serve.</li></ul> <a href="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/6684" title="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/6684" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Prof Sonia Johnson</a> and <a href="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/89704-andrew-grundy" title="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/89704-andrew-grundy" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Andrew Grundy</a> will chair Don’t miss this chance to engage with new research, hear directly from those involved in peer support work, and learn about key challenges moving forward.