Peer Support

Grounded in shared lived experience

Confidential, affordable, personal

Down to earth mental health support in a non-clinical environment

What is Peer Support?

Peer support is a mental health service based on shared lived experience. Peer support has long been an accepted and celebrated concept in many cultures and communities, through different expressions, such as talking circles, sweat lodges, and consumer/survivor groups. Peer support is person-focused, not illness-focused - meaning it is oriented towards encouraging an enhanced quality of life for an individual rather than diagnosing or treating a specific malady. Rooted in principles of mutual aid, peer support aims to reduce barriers to access to mental healthcare and power imbalances.

Peer Support may be helpful if you resonate with any of the following:

  • Experiencing loneliness and are seeking support and practical tools to feel more connected

  • Going through a friendship breakup and aren’t sure how to move forward

  • Feeling out of place and are looking for belonging and community and don’t know where to start

  • Navigating life transitions that have changed your relationship dynamics and need support in stepping into your next chapter

  • Struggling to maintain healthy relationships due to past hurt or trauma

  • Finding yourself consistently ‘masking’ during social interactions, feeling unable to be your real self around others

  • Striving to develop friendships beyond the limiting (and sometimes toxic) examples that were set for you 

Our mental and physical health is inextricably linked to our social health. If you resonate with one or more of the above, you’re not alone. It can feel awkward and scary to reach out for help, but I promise you these feelings are far more common than you think. Just like other parts of wellness, it’s not linear and its not always easy, but with support, skills, and resources - vibrant social health is achievable.
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FAQs

  • Peer Support is a valuable mental health approach that is fundamentally based on the mutuality of life experiences. Peer support provides consistent and compassionate care. Peer supporters do not diagnose or treat illnesses. Our care comes from our own lived experience, and is focused on providing a comfortable space to be yourself, feel heard, and be cared for.

    Part of the aim of peer support is to minimize power imbalances that can often exist in industrialized mental health care. Peer Supporters are not mandated reporters, meaning we are not legally obligated to report to police or medical institutions. This lowers your risk of police contact when seeking mental health care.

  • Individual sessions are virtual at this time. Group sessions are held in-person and virtual when available.

  • Our sessions are your space to share what is going on in your inner and outer world that is influencing your wellness and together we will hold space for those experiences and work toward enhancing your day to day quality of life or reaching personal goals.

    The introductory call is an opportunity for me to share a bit more about myself, my story and approach, and hopefully make you comfortable to share why you are considering peer support service and what your hopes are for the experience.

    There is no long-term commitment. Sessions can be weekly or as needed. Your support needs will change with time and the way our sessions look will ebb and flow with those changes.

  • Sessions start at $35/hour, and may be reduced when booking longer sessions or multiple sessions.