In a letter to Medicaid directors in 2007, Dennis G. Smith, director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, explained peer support service as an “evidence-based mental health model of care that consists of a qualified peer support provider who assists individuals with their recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders.”
Most significant, the letter made it clear to recipients—State Medicaid directors—that peer support services could be provided under Medicaid as a “component of a comprehensive mental health and substance use service delivery system.”
See letter: http://www.magellanhealth.com/training2/peersupport/magellanmodule1/graphics/cms.pdf
Additionally a research base has been established that demonstrates that peer support services are an effective component of mental health care. Philosophers like Kant an Brewer agree that we have two ways of understanding anything. 1) Scientific Inquiry and 2) Experience. Within our mental health system “experience” has been routinely ignored as a source of knowledge and scientific inquiry has been given authority.
Part of the problem in the current mental health model is that it doesn’t value the experience of mental illness and therefore there is no role for those people who become mentally ill.
A key differentiating factor in the certified peer specialist (CPS) role from other mental health professionals is that, in addition to the traditional knowledge and competencies in providing support, the CPS operates out of a “lived experience and experiential knowledge.”
Information provided by peers is often seen to be more credible than that provided by mental health professionals, who can’t relate to mental illness themselves.
Peer support has demonstrated positive outcomes in the areas of substance abuse, parenting, loss and bereavement, cancer, and chronic illness, in addition to mental health.
When peers are part of hospital-based care, the results indicate shortened lengths of stays, decreased frequency of admission, and a subsequent reduction in overall treatment costs. Other studies also suggested that the use of peer support can help reduce the overall need and use for mental health services over time…
See video: Peer Support in Mental Health Recovery http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQR01GLzE9A
See video: Peer Support http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cvGNScztjs