1. What is Peer Support?

    Peer Support is …

• Listening to others
• Sharing thoughts and exploring ideas
• Looking at different options and choices
• Empowering others to make their own decisions
• Respecting confidentiality
• Setting guidelines and expectations
• Knowing when you cannot help someone and admitting that you don’t have all the answers
• Referring someone to other community resources when you are unable to support them.

• Providing professional counseling or therapy
• Giving advice
• Solving other people’s problems for them
• Discussing medical information or therapeutic intervention
• Trying to be the “expert”.

3. What are the Key Concepts of Peer Support?

    Key Concepts of Peer Support include...

• A form of support among persons facing similar barriers
• Linking people to people
• Equality (no power play)
• Mutual relationships
• Guidance

• Someone who has directly experienced a disability
• Someone who is willing to share their personal stories with others in similar situations
• Someone who understands and can relate to feelings and challenges faced by others in similar situations.

• listen and not advise
• possess a willingness to share insights and experiences about living with a disability
• put yourself in someone else’s shoes – “empathy”
• recognize personal limitations and ask for help when required
• provide unconditional acceptance
• allow someone to make his or her own decisions without passing judgement
• have the confidence to share your experiences openly and honestly.