The Value of Peer Support Groups - Coursework Example

The Value of Peer Support Groups 23/08/14 Peer support is a mechanism of providing knowledge, experience, and emotional, social or practical help to other people (Gartner & Riessman, 2014). Peer support can be undertaken by individuals who have been train in mentoring, listen and counsel. It may also involve colleagues, members of an organisation and others meeting together to provide support to one another on the basis of ‘support me I support you. Peer support groups would, therefore, comprise of supporters who share some similarity with their clients on the basis of age, status or ability. For instance, physically challenged person can be supported by another physically challenged person as they would understand each other better. Peer support explores the possibility of involving supporters who have been confronted with the same problem as that of the person they are helping out to bring in a level of equality. The affected person feels that a person who has gone through the same situation and ordeal like his or hers, can be able to understand the situation better. Moreover, the experience of others make the persons supported feel better that others too have been in such a situation and survived. Peer support has a number of theories that have made it to be in effect. The efficiency of peer support group is viewed to borrow from a number of psychological processes. These processes are social support, experiential knowledge, social learning theory, social comparison theory and the helper-therapy theory (Castelein, et al.). Social support refers to the existence of a psychological and social interactions between people who have mutual trust and concern (Mead & MacNeil, 2006). Positive relationships help people to adjust in a positive way against what has been nudging them. Positive relationships trigger a number of advantages like offering emotional support through esteem, attachment and reassurance. Instrumental support is also made possible through the support of tangible as well as intangible commodities. The feeling of loneliness is eradicated and also individuals get information support like advice, feedback and guidance. Psychological process among the peers also borrow heavily from experimental knowledge. This knowledge results from special information and view that people derive through being exposed to a particular situation and experience such as physical disability or traumatic event. This approach gives practicality and can be used to improve the quality of life through use of practical real life situations that people can easily identify with. The social learning theory explores the fact that peers who have been to similar situations and survived can be convincing role model to others. Interaction of peers who have successfully coped with the same situation can be influential in making sure that a positive behaviour change is achieved on the person being supported. Social contrast means that people would be more contented in sharing and relating with others that exhibit same features with those being supported (Mead & MacNeil, 2006). This is because people wouldn’t feel different from their supporters and as such; they would feel normal in the company of supporters. Normalcy relaxes the mind of the affected person making him or her feel comfortable to share in their problems and be keen to learn how to cope with their problem. The helper-therapy principle puts forward that the people are providing peer support benefit in a number of ways too. The intellect of interpersonal capability is increased due to the sense of making an impact on other person’s life (Mead & MacNeil, 2006). Equality sense ensures as during interaction; the supporter can give out his or her experiences and in return gets something from the other person leading to a feeling of equality. When helping, the supporter gathers new knowledge while helping that can help him or her better his performance. The helper can gain support from the people they help. When persons give themselves in for peer support, they must have believed that you’d help them. Peer support groups have so much value attached to it that are incomparable to other forms of support groups. One of the value is that peer support groups reduce a victim’s sense of isolation, and this is so because peer support groups would have undergone similar circumstances. The victim feels that he or she is among many others. The fact that the peers have had similar experiences makes the victim feel secure and normal to the problems he or she is facing. Equally, the company of people with whom are confronted with the same problems makes one feel comforted and at ease to share on the experiences. Healing starts when one is ready to share as the weight of the matter always reduces. Peer support groups are instrumental in helping normalize an experience. The fact that you find others in the same hole as you are, you start viewing your problem is a normal case. Peer support groups make the victim feel that his or her problems are reflections of others too. The feeling that you are not alone and that others have equally suffered like you and gone through the pain makes one identify with his or her problems in others and be positively influenced to cope up with the problem. Peer support groups can instil hope to participants. Peer support groups often share information about their experiences and coping techniques. Peer support counselling supports positive results and aspire to give the victim reason to be optimistic. Peer support group involve supporters who are currently under positive progress or those who have already been in a similar situation and have triumphed in their struggle. Evidently, involvement of such supporters would be optimistic and is channelled to give hope to affected parties. Peer support group offer an opportunity to give and receive. It forms an avenue where both parties share their experiences and on that basis each side receives from the others. Supporters would be able to interact with the affected persons and in this interaction gather new information that is important in future interaction. Though peers involve people that have gone through the same ordeal, not every situation is similar to another in all aspects. New developments may be exhibited from other people and can be instrumental in using that information in the future. Those being helped can be able to gather tactics on coping with the situation they are in from the experiences of their supporters. In this way, each side has a great importance to the other and this ceases to be a one channel interaction but a take and give ordeal. Each side feels its value and equality are ensured through this way. In conclusion, the value of peer support groups is one that cannot be underestimated as it has become an effective resource to help affected persons. Its key element of making sure that both parties share common characteristics makes it easy to provide counselling basing from a practical background. The pragmatic approach that is effected by peer support groups can be easily accepted in the basis of ‘if others have survived that I can equally do the same. Practical experiences presents realism that can be believed and this would speed up the support process as opposed to a support group that has not had a real encounter as their clients (Mead & MacNeil, 2006). It is instrumental to note that peer support groups makes individual be willing to share as the ones they are sharing with have gone through the same ordeal and they would feel identifying with them rather than speculating that they would be judged. Peer support groups have shown progress than other approaches mainly because of its unique nature of both parties sharing the same experiences and also practicality of the approach. References Castelein, S., Bruggeman, R., Busschbach, J. T., Knegtering, H., Gaag, M. v., & Wiersma, D. (n.d.). Predictors of successful participation in peer. Retrieved from ub.rug.nl: http://irs.ub.rug.nl Gartner, & Riessman. (2014, 04 01). Relative Experience Briefing 2. Retrieved from What is peer-to-peer support: http://www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Relative-Experience-Briefing-2-What-is-peer-to-peer-support.pdf Mead, S., & MacNeil, C. (2006). Peer Support: What Makes It Unique. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 29-37. Read More