DEFINING PEER SUPPORT

For years, first responders have embraced formal and informal peer support. Peer support assumes that people who have similar experiences can better relate and better understand what the job is and the impact it can have on a first responder’s life. It can help to foster a sense of connectedness between individuals. Peer support reduces stigma, encourages seeking professional help and can build a more resilience-based approach to work and personal life.  Studies show first responders find it easier to speak with other first responders about these topics.   

Traditionally, first responder peer support was reactive and the emphasis was on members who were involved in critical incidents. Recent thinking and studies emphasize the role of peer support to promote and encourage physical, mental and emotional well-being. 

Research has shown that careers within public safety services are qualified as high stress positions. This stress can occur because of the physical conditions that the job entails, but recent research has also shown a correlation with the unique, mentally taxing situations that the members are exposed to. This can be due to traumatic and repetitive calls while interacting with the public as well as organizational and family stressors. These daily interactions can produce high-stress conditions for the first responder.   A Peer Support Program can help members become more successful by utilizing the tools already available to the organization and by understanding what resources are available in the community.

Peer Support is giving and receiving help founded on the key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful. (Mead et al, 2001).

Our peers are front line workers, supervisors, and chiefs. They are in law enforcement, the fire service, corrections, dispatch and hospitals. We know the job because we do the job. 

The essence of peer support begins with informal and naturally occurring support (Faulkner and Bassett, 2010). Peer support is the naturally occurring informal support in first responder departments. These are some of the functions that a Peer Supporter might do:

1. Improving mental health understanding by promoting education and awareness of operation, organization, and personal stressors. 
2. To know and provide resources to members and their families during personal and professional crisis situations.
3. To serve as a liaison between members and support resources.
4. To build a well-rounded program that focuses on maintaining confidentiality and building trust.
5. Identify and vet additional resources and programs that could benefit anyone that needs assistance outside the scope of the Peer Support Program. ​
6. Provide an empathetic, listening ear.
7. Share personal stories to reduce stigma and encourage others to seek help.
8. Build a culture of wellness to improve the mental, physical, and emotional areas of first responders.

Peer Support is designed to allow individuals to connect through direct conversation by sharing relevant experience and knowledge. Peer Supporters are trained to actively listen and assist with navigating available resources including the mental health system, counseling services, financial services, and clergy who support first responders. Peer Supporters are also the first to know about local training related to mental health and resilience. 

Peer Support is not a substitute for professional counseling. 

Researched indicates that those who take advantage of peer support show: 

1. Reduced rates of hospitalization and days spent as inpatients. (Solomon and Drain, 1995; Rowe, et al., 2007; Sledge, et al.,2001).
2. Reduction in the use of emergency room visits. (Davidson et al., 2012).
3. Decrease in mental health services over time. (Chinman et al., 2011; Simpson & House, 2002). Peer Support is designed to allow individuals to connect through direct conversation by sharing relevant experience and knowledge. It is simply offering emotional and social support.
4. Increased sense of control and ability to bring changes in their lives. (Tondora, et al., 2010).
5. Increased sense of hope and degree of engagement in managing their challenges, degree of satisfaction with family life, positive feelings about themselves and their lives, social support, and sense of community belonging. (Tondora, et al., 2010).
6. Increased hope, self-care and sense of well-being. (Sledge, et al., 2011).