July 31, 2015, a small group of workers met in an eighth floor conference room. They all had two things in common. One, they were consumers of mental health services. And two, they are now successfully employed in the behavioral health field.
The meeting was put together by Sandra McQueen-Baker, coordinator of the Consumer Network and Pam Ford, Peer Services Manager with South Florida Behavioral Health Network. They are calling for working peers to meet together, network and offer each other support.
Though several of us have the same job title (i.e. Peer Specialist), we discovered that we all have very different job duties. We are group facilitators, peer counselors, and website designers. We make outreach phone calls, visit hospital patients and persons in jail, as well as plan recreational activities.
Sandra asked everyone present to answer this question, “Where are you now? And where would you like to be five years from now?” Answering this question really helped us to focus on our individual career goals.
Because these sessions are confidential I cannot say the specific things that were shared. But I will say that issues of “Ethics and Boundaries” were discussed. And examples were given regarding “Respecting Cultural Differences.”
Peer Specialist support meetings are held approximately every three months. By joining the Consumer Network email list, you’ll receive information about dates and location.
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