Youth Peer Support

Feeling anxious about attending headspace? Our Peer Support Workers have been through challenges of their own. They use their experience to provide emotional support, practical advice and encouragement for young people and their caregivers. They can support you from start to finish at headspace. 

What is Peer Support?

Peer support is delivered by our Peer Support Workers, people trained to share their lived experience of mental ill health and recovery to support others. 

A Peer Support Worker is a person with lived experience dealing with mental health who can walk alongside you, no matter what kind of day you're having. 

Peer support sessions involve sharing your experiences with someone who has gone through similar situations or challenges. Our Peer Support Workers can provide emotional support, practical advice and encouragement.

What does a peer support session look like?

The session will focus on stuff that you want to talk about. The Peer Support Worker will help you celebrate your wins, empower you to embrace yourself and validate your unique recovery experiences. They may also share some of their own story to help normalise and validate your experiences. 

Whether the session involves having a coffee and a catch-up, playing a card game, or doing mindful colouring, the Peer Support Worker will always support you in working towards your goals and remind you that recovery can be fun, and that you're not alone on the journey.

What are the benefits of peer support?

People with common interests or experiences have always benefited from sharing and supporting each other. Peer Support Workers go a step further and draw on their lived experience to encourage and support young people or their parents/caregivers. 

The benefits of peer support include: 

  • Having gone through a recovery journey themselves, they can empathise with what is happening for you. 
  • Sharing their experiences so you can see where they were challenged and where they succeeded.
  • Encouraging you to work towards goals that will support your wellbeing. 
  • Sharing information about mental health wellbeing, supporting you to build knowledge, and encouraging self-care. 
  • Becoming a bridge between you and your clinical supports, to ensure there is a collaborative approach to your treatment and recovery. 

Plus, there is a bunch of research that says that having connections to Peer Support Workers can improve your sense of social inclusion and connection, reduce self-stigma about mental ill health, increase your self-esteem, and empower you to feel confident to take control of your recovery.

How do I book a peer support appointment?

Peer Support will be offered to you as part of your journey at headspace. It's optional, but we recommend you give it a go as it can be so helpful to connect with someone who's had similar experiences. 

You can also reach out to us to ask for Peer Support.  

Call headspace Caloundra on 5222 4009

Email us at reception@headspacecaloundra.org.au

ASK your clinician to help book a peer support session

 

Book an appointment