Inspiring hope through connection and person-centred support
The YIM Peer Support Program is available to anyone receiving psychological services from a You in Mind clinician who may benefit from additional person-centred support outside of clinical sessions.
A peer worker is a trained support person with lived experience of mental health. Using their own personal experiences, they walk alongside participants, inspiring hope and role modelling recovery through building connection and rapport.
Peers work from local offices in Campbelltown, Bankstown, Liverpool, and Bowral, and can also meet individuals in the community or at home.
How it works?
Each participant will have a Collaborative Care Plan developed between the clinician, participant, and peer worker, who will meet at least 3 times during their treatment plan. These meetings are in additional to the allocated sessions a participant has with a psychologist. The peer worker and participant can meet outside of these sessions as many times as needed. In addition, they may also meet for an additional 8 weeks after clinical sessions have ceased for ongoing peer support.
Building skills and resilience towards recovery
Peer worker support depends on the individual needs of the participant and can be adapted to include (but not limited to) accessing community services, such as Centrelink or housing, or further psychosocial supports, i.e., psychiatrists. Participants can also be linked with social and support groups. Barriers to attending services and community can also be addressed. In addition, tools given in clinical sessions can be explored, e.g., emotional regulation tools, travel confidence, exposure therapy, sleep hygiene.
We work closely with the participant and the psychologist to help support the recovery process. This process is unique to the individual and arrived at collaboratively between the parties involved. Peer workers will work alongside the participant to help build skills and resilience towards recovery.