Mental Health Peer Support: Does Empowerment and Belonging Aid Recovery?

The use of mental health peer support has been associated with positive recovery-oriented outcomes for those struggling with mental health issues, however, there is a lack of research surrounding mental health peer support within Jersey. Due to this, the research examined service users’ experiences of Mind Jersey’s mental health peer support service, along with professionals at Mind Jersey’s views. The study consisted of a mixed method approach gaining quantitative and qualitative data from opportunity samples of 13 service users and three professionals. Analysis revealed three common themes within mental health peer support: empowerment, belonging and recovery. These themes may be particularly important in understanding how and why mental health peer support can promote recovery from mental illness. The results support Mind Jersey’s commitment in providing this service to aid the lives of islanders. Furthermore, they suggest the need for further consideration from the government surrounding the use of peer support in conjunction with other mental health services and further investigation of the relationship between peer support and mental health recovery.