How would mental health services change if they were staffed by peer supporters?

What is peer support and how is it defined?

It involves providing support to a person experiencing mental health difficulties and/or disorders using their own unique experiences. Peer support can be provided both in a personal context and within the framework of the mental health system (for example, peer supporters are placed in psychiatric hospitals and work alongside other professionals there: psychiatrists, nurses). A key element of peer support is the creation of a reciprocal, equal relationship. In such a relationship, not only the person receiving the support benefits, but also the provider.

Targeted implementation of mutual aid is an application of human rights-based principles, part of a recovery model. It focuses on the person as a whole, not on his/her problem and/or on the person as a problem.

How do other countries implement mutual aid in the health system?

In Europe, many countries have successfully implemented mutual aid for a long time. We decided to take good practice from our colleagues in Iceland, whose journey towards implementing mutual support has just started. In November 2024, experts from the Icelandic NGO Traustur Kjarni, mutual support providers and representatives of mental health services from the National Hospital of Iceland arrived in Lithuania.

During the visit, important meetings were held at Vilnius City Municipality, Vilnius City Mental Health Centre, Antakalnis Out-patient clinic and the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health. Each meeting was devoted to sharing experiences and going deeper into the practical aspects of establishing a mutual support system.

You can hear the shared insights in a short video.

Peer support session and recommendations for peer support and recovery

During the visit, a peer mentoring session was also organised to discuss with representatives from different fields from Lithuania and Iceland what is needed for successful implementation of peer support and recovery in the mental health sector, and what challenges may arise. We are glad that this session was attended by representatives from various fields: mental health institutions, social care institutions, people with experience of mental health disorders, experts from Iceland.

The recommendations are available here.

You can read the study visit report here.

After a study visit to Lithuania, an online webinar was held to reach a wider audience and discuss more topics where peer support can be useful. It was decided to discuss peer support in and out of prison and how it can affect youth mental health. You can watch the webinar here.

Recommendations from the webinar can be found here.

The project was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Lithuania’s “NGO Cooperation Support Programme”.