Peer Support Services in Crisis Care

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is available as an open-access article. Peer support services are an integral component of the behavioral health continuum of care- from prevention and early intervention to treatment, recovery, and crisis services. Crisis care provides services to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Three essential elements comprise crisis care: crisis phone lines, mobile crisis teams, and crisis receiving and stabilization facilities. There are several benefits to including peers in crisis care, including strengthening engagement in treatment and improving outcomes for individuals experiencing a crisis who receive these services. Peers working in crisis service care settings provide opportunities for individuals in crisis to talk with someone who has similar experiences, embodies recovery, and can offer messages of encouragement and hope. Peers may experience challenges related to role integrity, stigma from co-workers, and sustainable employment. They also face challenges unique to providing crisis care, including the complexity of managing crisis situations and, often, a lack of specialized crisis training. This course on the relationship between peer support and crisis care is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of the relationship between peer support and crisis care. The course material includes a literature review of interventions. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: SAMHSA Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the relationship between peer support and crisis care. Specifically, a professional will: Identify organizational structures that deliver peer support services and their key components. Recognize the role of peer support in crisis care. Describe the role of peer support in recovery. Citation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022, June). Peer Support Services in Crisis Care. SAMHSA Advisory. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep22-06-04-001.pdf