Byrne Louise, Roennfeldt Helena
School of Management, RMIT University, 124 La Trobe St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.
Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Program for Recovery and Community Health, Building. 1 Erector Square, 319 Peck Street, New Haven, CT, 06513, USA.
Adm Policy Ment Health. 2024 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/s10488-024-01424-9.
Peer roles have increased within mental health and alcohol and other drug services. However, there is a lack of understanding about the 'lived experience' necessary for success in these roles and how to recruit effectively. This study explores participants' views on the essential knowledge and skills derived from lived experience to inform the design of peer roles and support effective recruitment. This qualitative study involved 132 participants employed across five multi-disciplinary organizations in the United States. Participants represent three cohorts: designated peer workers, management, and colleagues in other roles. Fourteen focus groups and eight individual interviews were conducted, with separate focus groups for peers, colleagues in non-designated roles, and management. Findings indicate essential aspects of lived experience comprise three domains: life-changing or life-shaping individual experiences (including intersectionality); common impacts of adverse experiences, identification as a peer, and understanding and application of the collective peer thinking and values; and ultimately, Lived Expertise, a unique, experientially developed knowledge base and set of skills that can benefit others. The study identifies Lived Expertise as a unique combination of individual and collectively derived experiential knowledge. Understanding what comprises Lived Expertise can guide the design of roles and improve recruitment strategies, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of roles and support for the peer workforce. This study offers a model for understanding Lived Expertise that can be readily applied in developing recruitment materials, including position descriptions.
同伴角色在心理健康、酒精及其他药物服务领域有所增加。然而，对于这些角色取得成功所需的“亲身经历”以及如何进行有效招募，人们缺乏了解。本研究探讨了参与者对源自亲身经历的基本知识和技能的看法，以为同伴角色的设计提供参考并支持有效招募。这项定性研究涉及美国五个多学科组织中的132名员工。参与者代表三个群体：指定的同伴工作者、管理人员以及其他角色的同事。研究开展了14个焦点小组和8次个人访谈，针对同伴、非指定角色的同事以及管理人员分别设立了焦点小组。研究结果表明，亲身经历的重要方面包括三个领域：改变生活或塑造生活的个人经历（包括交叉性）；不良经历的共同影响、作为同伴的认同，以及对同伴集体思维和价值观的理解与应用；最终是“亲身专业知识”，这是一个独特的、通过经验发展而来的知识库和技能组合，能够使他人受益。该研究将“亲身专业知识”确定为个人和集体获得的经验知识的独特组合。了解“亲身专业知识”的构成可以指导角色设计并改进招募策略，从而提高角色的有效性以及对同伴工作队伍的支持。本研究提供了一个理解“亲身专业知识”的模型，可直接应用于编写招募材料，包括职位描述。
