Peer Counseling Skills: A Pocket Resource for Peer Support Specialists

Peer counseling is the most common intervention that Peer Support Specialists provide. It requires a specific set of skills that take years to learn to do well. Most people do not come by them naturally - we often have to unlearn bad habits around giving advice. Peer counseling is different from psychotherapy in important ways. Both involve talking and listening in the context of helping relationships, but they are very different. When we confuse the two, there can be bad outcomes for everyone. When done well, they complement each other and produce better outcomes than either alone.

This book is designed to be an easy-to-access resource that you can have with you and use while you are providing peer counseling. It is also designed to be a training resource for Peer Support Specialists and other peer counselors who are learning these skills. It includes theory and background information, but it is designed to encourage you to practice and build your counseling skills. Chapters focus on specific skills and strategies, including effective listening, telling recovery stories that promote change, working with ambivalence, ethical issues, and building advanced peer counseling skills. Exercises and questions will guide your skill development. It is designed for Peer Support Specialists working with adults using mental health and/or substance use services, but the skills are relevant for peer counselors working in other fields, such as in schools, self-help groups, medical settings and religious organizations