Black peer support: A role in mental health recovery

It’s been a troubling year for millions of Americans, marked by public reckonings over inequities in justice, health care, and most certainly mental health care. None of these inequities are new. Estimates suggest that only 22% of Black Americans — fewer than one in four — who need mental health care actually receive treatment. In addition to financial and insurance barriers to mental health treatment, a long history of discrimination in medicine makes it difficult for some people of color to form trusting relationships with medical providers. And that’s one reason why peer support has been gaining traction to help address unmet needs. What is peer support for mental health? Peer support is a relationship based on mutuality — that is, people with similar experiences listening, sharing, and encouraging one another. In the US, peer support training, certification requirements, and availability vary by state. In Massachusetts, for example, mental health peer support groups are facilitated by certified peer specialists (CPS). Once trained and certified by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) through Kiva Centers, CPSs facilitate classes and support groups at Recovery Learning Communities throughout the state. They also work in hospitals, day treatment programs, emergency services, and residential services operated by DMH. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has widely available Peer-to-Peer and Connection Recovery Support Groups programs. Lo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Depression Health Health care disparities Mental Health Relationships Source Type: blogs