Meet the team

Simon

I wanted to become a peer support worker after having the role recommended to me by the person I was working with in Impact on Teesside. I work along side people providing an example of how there is light at the end of the tunnel through listening, empathy and validating their own experience.

I think we all have the skills needed to be a peer to someone, to support them its just we sometimes forget to use them or don’t realise we are. I don’t judge. I keep an open mind. I think everyone’s experiences in life are important, impactful and informative to them. I think we all have the potential to be the best version of ourselves and the right to strive towards being that version; regardless of whether we achieve it.

As to my own lived in experience; I have seen the benefits of just sitting with people and being with them and showing empathy.

Sara

I attended a Lived Experience Event in July 2023. At the time, I was employed but on sick leave due to mental health issues and subsequently I lost my job. Following the event, I responded to an invitation to form a co-production group and with four other members developed a framework for involving service users. I was one of the group members to go on and turn the document into a training session for staff and delivered it twice to different groups of staff.

Being part of this group was a transformative experience. It wasn’t just about contributing to change, it gave me a sense of purpose and achievement that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Being part of something that can truly make a difference has been a source of motivation and strength. This experience has been a crucial part of my healing journey – one I continue to walk.

Claire

I wanted to be a Peer Support Worker to be there for others who just need someone alongside them, who understands and can have empathy for what they're feeling.

I get to know the person I'm supporting to build a trust and understand any goals or purpose they have now or in the future. I'm not there to fix but to walk alongside them. That could involve a walk, a coffee and chat, or give moral support for a meeting or other appointment they have.

I've been through a lot in a short space of time, to the point that my mental health suffered but through therapy and a lot of Peer Support (people around me) I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Also, I volunteered for the Recovery College as a co-facilitator alongside a Recovery Tutor. Peer Support is such a valuable service because people who we support get to know that they're talking with someone who knows, even just a small bit, of what they're going through or experiencing.

18-25 year old peer support worker

Kevin

I've worked in peer support for around eight years. Like many peers, my first experience of it began while I was receiving much-needed support myself.

Throughout my teens and twenties, I masked and tried to “manage” persistent low mood and depression. My journey is a familiar one: I didn’t seek help until I reached a very low point in my early thirties. Eventually, I reached out to a men’s support group after years of isolation, which marked the beginning of an ongoing path of learning and discovery.

Being able to turn difficult experiences into something positive and to offer others the same understanding I once received is what drives me.