I have been seeing clients with the supervision of my therapist who are just recently diagnosed and coming out of an episode and sharing my story, experience of living with it for 4 years, offering advice, and relating to their symptoms. I have gotten compliments from my therapist on how well I was doing it, and one guy told me I was very helpful. It’s also helpful to me because I get to share a part of myself and depart wisdom, and the two people who I have seen have both said it was interesting to see the similarities and differences in symptoms. I agree.
I have many more people to see, and my therapist was worried she might have to get the clinic to start paying me! But I was happy to do it for free because I get a lot out of it too. It feels so good to be able to do this, it feels like a major accomplishment.
I did peer-to-peer two week training. My pdoc is trying to let me shadow someone to see if i like it. I’m also bedridden in my free time and only severely depressed ppl can relate to that.
Peer support is mutual, so you would get a lot out of it.
I’m also a peer supporter for a mental health charity and run a peer support group as well as offering 1:1 peer support sessions.
I have mixed feelings about people being paid to offer support, because I see it as volunteering. I would say that you should never be put out of pocket because of your volunteering, so maybe see if they can pay your travel expenses or allow you to say charge a coffee to them if you have your peer support session off site?
I’m allowed to charge back £3/pw which is about the price of a large hot chocolate in addition to travel costs, when I can’t use my bus pass.
