Abstract
Over the past two decades, there has been increased recognition of the effectiveness of peer delivered services, with prior research highlighting the benefits for both recipients of peer services and peer providers. Despite this, peer specialists report challenges to their work such as experiencing stigma associated with their role and difficulty integrating into a non-peer dominated workforce. The study sought to explore the perceptions of agency leadership from three supportive housing agencies regarding peer specialists and peer-delivered services within their organization before and after a peer-led intervention to promote healthy lifestyles for people with SMI. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with agency leadership and analyzed using a content analysis approach. Findings from this study contribute to the literature on the peer specialist workforce by identifying factors (e.g., agency’s prior experience employing peer specialists) and potential strategies (e.g., exposure to peer services) impact the level of workplace integration of peer specialists.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Change history
02 February 2023
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01093-2
References
Bellamy, C., Schmutte, T., & Davidson, L. (2017). An update on the growing evidence base for peer support. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 21(3), 161–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-03-2017-0014
Bochicchio, L., Stefancic, A., Gurdak, K., Swarbrick, M., & Cabassa, L. J. (2019). “We’re All in this Together”: Peer-specialist contributions to a healthy lifestyle intervention for people with serious mental illness. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 46(3), 298–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-018-0914-6
Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development (p. 84). Sage Publications.
Cabassa, L. J., Stefancic, A., O’Hara, K., El-Bassel, N., Lewis-Fernández, R., Luchsinger, J. A., Gates, L., Younge, R., Wall, M., Weinstein, L., & Palinkas, L. A. (2015). Peer-led healthy lifestyle program in supportive housing: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 16, 388. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-015-0902-z
Chapman, S. A., Blash, L. K., Mayer, K., & Spetz, J. (2018). Emerging roles for peer providers in mental health and substance use disorders. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6, Suppl 3), S267–S274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.02.019
Colson, P. W., & Francis, L. E. (2009). Consumer staff and the role of personal experience in mental health services. Social Work in Mental Health, 7(4), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332980802237735
Cook, J. A., Steigman, P., Pickett, S., Diehl, S., Fox, A., Shipley, P., MacFarlane, R., Grey, D. D., & Burke-Miller, J. K. (2012). Randomized controlled trial of peer-led recovery education using Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (BRIDGES). Schizophrenia Research, 136(1–3), 36–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2011.10.016
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. (pp. xxix, 260–xxix, 260).
Davidson, L., Bellamy, C., Guy, K., & Miller, R. (2012). Peer support among persons with severe mental illnesses: A review of evidence and experience. World Psychiatry, 11(2), 123–128.
Davidson, L., Chinman, M., Sells, D., & Rowe, M. (2006). Peer support among adults with serious mental illness: A report from the field. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 32(3), 443–450. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbj043
Firmin, R. L., Mao, S., Bellamy, C. D., & Davidson, L. (2019). Peer support specialists’ experiences of microaggressions. Psychological Services, 16(3), 456–462. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000297
Gates, L. B., & Akabas, S. H. (2007). Developing strategies to integrate peer providers into the staff of mental health agencies. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 34(3), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-006-0109-4
Gates, L. B., Mandiberg, J. M., & Akabas, S. H. (2010). Building capacity in social service agencies to employ peer providers. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 34(2), 145–152. https://doi.org/10.2975/34.2.2010.145.152
Jones, N., Kosyluk, K., Gius, B., Wolf, J., & Rosen, C. (2020a). Investigating the mobility of the peer specialist workforce in the United States: Findings from a national survey. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 43(3), 179.
Jones, N., Niu, G., Thomas, M., Riano, N. S., Hinshaw, S. P., & Mangurian, C. (2019). Peer specialists in community mental health: Ongoing challenges of inclusion. Psychiatric Services (washington, D.c.), 70(12), 1172–1175. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201800552
Jones, N., Teague, G. B., Wolf, J., & Rosen, C. (2020b). Organizational climate and support among peer specialists working in peer-run, hybrid and conventional mental health settings. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 47(1), 150–167.
Kramer, M. K., Kriska, A. M., Venditti, E. M., Miller, R. G., Brooks, M. M., Burke, L. E., Siminerio, L. M., Solano, F. X., & Orchard, T. J. (2009). Translating the diabetes prevention program: A comprehensive model for prevention training and program delivery. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 37(6), 505–511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2009.07.020
Krupa, T., Kirsh, B., Cockburn, L., & Gewurtz, R. (2009). Understanding the stigma of mental illness in employment. Work (reading, Mass), 33(4), 413–425. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-2009-0890
Kuhn, W., Bellinger, J., Stevens-Manser, S., & Kaufman, L. (2015). Integration of peer specialists working in mental health service settings. Community Mental Health Journal, 51(4), 453–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-015-9841-0
Mancini, M. A. (2018). An exploration of factors that effect the implementation of peer support services in community mental health settings. Community Mental Health Journal, 54(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0145-4
Miyamoto, Y., & Sono, T. (2012). Lessons from peer support among individuals with mental health difficulties: A review of the literature. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health: CP & EMH, 8, 22–29. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901208010022
Moran, G. S., Russinova, Z., Gidugu, V., & Gagne, C. (2013). Challenges experienced by paid peer providers in mental health recovery: A qualitative study. Community Mental Health Journal, 49(3), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-012-9541-y
Mowbray, O., Campbell, R. D., Disney, L., Lee, M., Fatehi, M., & Scheyett, A. (2021). Peer support provision and job satisfaction among certified peer specialists. Social Work in Mental Health, 19(2), 126–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2021.1885090
O’Hara, K., Stefancic, A., & Cabassa, L. J. (2017). Developing a peer-based healthy lifestyle program for people with serious mental illness in supportive housing. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 7(4), 793–803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-016-0457-x
Saldaña, J. (2003). Longitudinal qualitative research: Analyzing change through time. Rowman Altamira.
Shalaby, R. A. H., & Agyapong, V. I. O. (2020). Peer support in mental health: Literature review. JMIR Mental Health, 7(6), e15572. https://doi.org/10.2196/15572
Simpson, E. L., & House, A. O. (2002). Involving users in the delivery and evaluation of mental health services: Systematic review. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 325(7375), 1265.
Smedberg, M. B. (n.d.). The Integration of Peer Support Specialists: A Qualitative Study. Smedberg, Maja B.. (2015). The Integration of Peer Support Specialists: A Qualitative Study. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University Repository Website: https://www.Sophia.Stkate.Edu/Msw_papers/524, 67.
Vélez-Grau, C., Stefancic, A., & Cabassa, L. J. (2019). Keeping the peer in peer specialist when implementing evidence-based interventions. Health & Social Work, 44(1), 57–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hly037
Wolf, J. (2018). National trends in peer specialist certification. Psychiatric Services (washington, D.c.), 69(10), 1049. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201800333
Funding
Funding was provided by National Institute of Mental Health (Grant No. R01MH104574).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed related to this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional, national research committee, and with the 1964 declaration Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The original online version of this article was revised: the typo in co-author name Akilah Collins-Anderson has been updated.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Bochicchio, L., Tuda, D., Stefancic, A. et al. “Getting the Staff to Understand It:” Leadership Perspectives on Peer Specialists Before and After the Implementation of a Peer-Delivered Healthy Lifestyle Intervention. Community Ment Health J 59, 904–913 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01074-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01074-x