The Value of Peer Support

During my admission to Nepean Psychiatric Hospital in 2023, I saw a peer worker only once. This was disappointing, particularly given the amount of advocacy work undertaken by individuals and organisations across Australia over the last two decades to establish peer work as an essential part of mental health services.

When I was admitted to a public psychiatric hospital, I expected certain things to have changed since my previous admission twenty years earlier. I expected to see a stronger peer workforce and a greater emphasis on collaborative, recovery-oriented care. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. In many ways, it felt as though little had changed.

My experience of nursing care was mixed. Some excellent nurses took the time to talk with patients, involve us in decisions, and genuinely listen to our concerns. These interactions helped build trust and made a difficult experience more manageable.

Unfortunately, some nurses appeared to operate from a more traditional and paternalistic model of care. At times, it felt as though behaviour management and observation took priority over communication and understanding. Much of the day was spent with staff behind glass doors, observing rather than engaging. Decisions about patients were often based on clinical observations rather than conversations with the people experiencing the distress. As a consumer, this can feel disempowering. It is difficult to build trust with professionals who observe you from a distance but rarely take the time to understand your experience from your perspective.

This is where peer workers can play a vital role. Peer workers bring something unique to mental health services that cannot be replicated through clinical training alone. They bring lived experience. They know what it is like to experience mental distress, hospitalisation, medication, recovery, and the challenges of rebuilding a life afterwards. Because they have "been there," peer workers are often able to connect with consumers in ways that clinicians cannot.

When someone is experiencing psychosis, mania, depression, anxiety, or trauma, they may be reluctant to speak openly with clinical staff. They may fear being judged, misunderstood, or having their concerns dismissed. A peer worker can often bridge that gap. They can provide hope, understanding, and a level of trust that is difficult to establish through clinical authority alone.

Peer support is not simply about sharing experiences. It is about demonstrating that recovery is possible. When a person meets someone who has experienced mental illness, survived it, and gone on to build a meaningful life, it can create hope in a way that textbooks and treatment plans often cannot.

Looking back on my hospital stay, I believe a stronger peer workforce could have improved the experience of many consumers on the ward. More peer workers would have created additional opportunities for connection, understanding, advocacy, and support. They could have helped reduce some of the fear, mistrust, and hostility that can develop within inpatient environments.

Mental health services need clinicians, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and allied health professionals. Their roles are essential. But they also need peer workers. Recovery is not just a clinical process. It is a human process. Sometimes the most powerful support comes from someone who can look you in the eye and say: "I've been where you are. I know how difficult it is. And I know that recovery is possible." That is the true value of peer support.