Peer Services

• Family and Youth Partners (Peer Support Specialists) are professionals with lived experience who work to support youth and their guardians through various needs and systems.
• Peer support can include problem-solving with the caregivers and youth to get the care they need. It can provide a supportive space for individuals to build personal relationships and become more socially involved with others. In their work, peer support specialists model a resilient, healthy lifestyle in conjunction with other services including but not limited to medication management, mental health counseling, and Wraparound Care.

Here are some key points about Youth and Family Partner Peer Support Specialists:

Purpose and Goals:

• Youth and Family Partners work with the youth and their guardians to support them through their treatment. This can be specific to mental health symptoms, family relationships, and/or systems-related goals (school/juvenile, etc).
  
  

Methods and Formats:

• SMART Goals: Peer Support focuses on attainable goals achievable outside of
  therapeutic interventions as they pertain to their client’s goals. is often more short-term, focusing on specific issues such as stress management, or coping skills.
  Collaboration: Clients actively participate with their peer support specialists in
  developing plans to assist in reaching their desired outcomes.

Who Can Benefit:

• Adults: Family partners can support parents/guardians through stressful day-to-day events as appropriate in parenting the youth in their household as well as identify and develop necessary skills to support their youth.
• Children and Adolescents: Youth Partners work with young individuals to strengthen healthy coping skills and improve relationships.
• Families: When one or multiple members in a family system are supported and are
  able to be more effective in their communication and navigating their relationships in healthy ways, the whole family benefits.