Pertinent Observations and Events in Accordance with their role as a Peer Support Specialist

Pertinent Observations and Events

A PSS shares resources and building skills, mentors and sets goals, advocates for people's recovery, and leads recovery groups (Owen, 2016). They commit to an individual's recovery. PSS demonstrates and defines written and verbal communication to the right individuals when issues arise. They also help us determine person-first recovery language to empower and support personal recovery. In relationship building, the PSS demonstrates their deep understanding of concepts necessary in maintaining and developing healthy relationships with people they serve inside the agency they serve among their community by valuing trustworthiness and by developing and maintaining trust. A PSS should understand and demonstrate empathetic listening without judgment.

Making healthy and positive choices helps individuals to build a better future for families and societies. Game activities help individuals with challenges to work through. Games improve brain functioning, improve relationships, and are suitable for releasing stress. Play is integral for adults; it keeps adult relationships exciting and fresh. It brings resilience, vitality, and joy to relationships. Based on cognitive functioning, psychological and physical well-being, and emotional and social well-being, outdoor games prevent loneliness and isolation. In addition, artwork is a fundamental force in an individual's life. It helps train the brain, relieving stress and providing chances to socialize and connect. Research shows creating art improves an individual's brain elasticity and mental health.

It is essential to have programs that positively impact humanitarian and development contexts. Humanitarian assistance should help in an individual's psychological well-being and mental health. It is crucial to integrate interventions that improve mental health (Geertman 2017). Having events like musical activities helps build task endurance, boost memory, reduce depression and anxiety, and help one to work more effectively. One's blood flows more easily when music plays. Music decreases stress hormone levels and elevates someone's mood. Children can engage in music for emergencies which supports the development of social-emotional learning skills of the child.

Additionally, it is essential to conduct a needs assessment to help accomplish the project goals. The overall plan helps to prioritize resources and identify the targeted strategies. Before arriving at the programmatic goals for resource allocation and decision-making, it is essential to assess the needs. To improve service delivery and to help the individual achieve their goals, PSS should know the need of that particular individual. In Peer support interaction, the PSS demonstrates their understanding of concepts necessary in supporting the people they serve by indicating and defining engagement and outreach skills with people served and being aware of issues such as culture and gender to begin building a relationship. They should attend cultural events which will help in helping their clients in a better way. PSS understand their roles and those of others in support of people under crisis, like trauma-informed practices. In addition, they encourage resilience and wellness for people served and promoted an environment for recovery. They can also explore the people they serve and identify their potential and possible futures by sharing openly and having challenging viewpoints.

A PSS can promote personal growth by identifying teachable moments to equip someone with relationship skills such as conflict resolution, assertiveness, and risking taking, which enhances personal responsibility. Healthy people also have healthy decision-making skills because they understand, share, and have various decision-making tools. Providing examples of healthy social interactions and facilitating familiarity helps people reestablish themselves as valued community members.

PSS demonstrates an understanding of concepts necessary to support the people and agencies they serve by showing they know history, substance use disorder, and mental health (Chinman et al., 2014). They can support people in navigating legal, social, and medical services by promoting timely appearance, accompanying them, and helping them dress suitably. In accessing community resources, they understand the essence of offering support to achieve desired integration. In addition, it helps understand the importance of job responsibilities as per the agency and the essence of adhering to agency procedures, policies, and codes of conduct. 

References

Chinman, M., George, P., Dougherty, R. H., Daniels, A. S., Ghose, S. S., Swift, A., & Delphin-Rittmon, M. E. (2014). Peer support services for individuals with serious mental illnesses: assessing the evidence. Psychiatric Services, 65(4), 429-441.

Geertman, S. (2017). PSS: Beyond the implementation gap. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 104, 70-76.

Owen, S. (2016). Professional learning communities: Building skills, reinvigorating the passion, and nurturing teacher well-being and "flourishing" within significantly innovative schooling contexts. Educational Review, 68(4), 403-419.