peer support Archives - This Week In Public Health

Mental health

How Peer Support Helps Us Navigate Life Transitions, Parenthood, and Grief

Major life changes can reshape our identities, relationships, and mental health. Research on parenting support, bereavement, and peer communities offers insights into how people adapt and how communities can help. Life can change in an instant. A baby is born. A loved one dies. A marriage ends. Someone retires after decades of work. A family […]

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Society

Alcoholics Anonymous Is More Than the 12 Steps. Public Health Should Pay Attention.

For nearly a century, Alcoholics Anonymous has built something public health often struggles to create: a free, widely available, community-run system that helps people change behavior, build relationships, and sustain recovery over time. When most people think about Alcoholics Anonymous, they think about the Twelve Steps. Admit that you are powerless over alcohol. Turn your […]

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Wellbeing

Can Online Communities Really Improve Mental Health?

Note: This blog is being published “out-of-order” because a student needed access to this content. Online support groups can connect people across enormous distances. But research suggests that the difference between a helpful community and a harmful one depends less on technology than on how people treat one another. Imagine experiencing something deeply personal, perhaps […]

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Commentary

How Does Peer Support Work? 8 Mechanisms Behind Peer Specialists

Peer specialists have become an increasingly visible part of mental health, substance use, recovery, and community-based services. They bring something unusual into formal systems of care: knowledge derived from lived experience. That sounds straightforward. The underlying science raises a more interesting question. How does peer support actually produce change? A peer specialist may encourage someone, […]

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Society

The Long History of Peer Support: What Mutual Aid Can Teach Public Health

When people face a serious problem, who should they turn to for help? A doctor? A therapist? A social worker? A public health agency? Sometimes. But there is another answer that predates nearly all of those professions: Someone who has been through it too. Today, peer support and lived experience are increasingly recognized across behavioral […]

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Commentary

Sense of Community: Why Belonging Matters for Health and Well-Being

There is a particular feeling that happens when you find yourself somewhere and think, these are my people. It might happen with your neighbors, coworkers, a sports team, a recovery group, a religious congregation, an online community, or a group of friends you have known for decades. The specific setting almost does not matter. What […]

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Commentary

Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Belonging: Why Connection Is a Public Health Issue

Think about the last time you felt lonely. What, exactly, was missing? Maybe you wanted someone to talk to. Maybe there were plenty of people around, but no one seemed to understand what you were going through. Perhaps you wanted a group where you felt like you belonged, a person you trusted, or simply the […]

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Commentary

Social Support and Mental Health: How Relationships Help Us Cope and Thrive

When people are struggling, we often assume the goal is simple: be supportive. The problem is that support is not one thing. Listening can be supportive. Giving advice can be supportive. Driving someone to an appointment can be supportive. Telling a friend that they are being too hard on themselves can also be supportive. Yet […]

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Commentary

Why Peer Support Matters: Lived Experience, Recovery, and Community Mental Health

There is a deceptively simple question at the heart of peer support: Why can someone who has “been there” sometimes help in ways that a trained professional cannot? This does not mean professional expertise is unimportant. Psychologists, physicians, social workers, counselors, and other professionals develop knowledge and skills that can be enormously valuable. But there […]

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Society

Peer Outreach Transforms Veteran Care

In our editorial opinion, US veterans have been treated terribly since 1946. This makes interventions like the below that much more important. A veteran named John, battling homelessness and struggling with a substance use disorder, walks into a bustling veteran outreach center. He’s greeted by someone who understands his struggles firsthand—a peer specialist who has […]

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Workforce

What Happens When Peer Support Workers Burn Out?

What if the very people helping others stay in recovery are quietly burning out—underpaid, misunderstood, and unsupported? Across the country, peer recovery support specialists—people with lived experience of substance use—are stepping into a powerful role. They’re not just inspiring others to get help; they’re guiding them through it. But while these peers uplift others, new […]

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Mental health

The Power of Peer Support in Overdose Prevention

In the ongoing battle against the overdose crisis, a powerful ally has emerged: peer support. A recent comprehensive review highlights the pivotal role of individuals with lived experience in overdose prevention interventions. By leveraging their unique insights and experiences, peers are not only saving lives but also transforming the way we approach harm reduction. The […]

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Latest Insights & Research

Tag: peer support

How Peer Support Helps Us Navigate Life Transitions, Parenthood, and Grief

Alcoholics Anonymous Is More Than the 12 Steps. Public Health Should Pay Attention.

Can Online Communities Really Improve Mental Health?

How Does Peer Support Work? 8 Mechanisms Behind Peer Specialists

The Long History of Peer Support: What Mutual Aid Can Teach Public Health

Sense of Community: Why Belonging Matters for Health and Well-Being

Why Peer Support Matters: Lived Experience, Recovery, and Community Mental Health

Peer Outreach Transforms Veteran Care

What Happens When Peer Support Workers Burn Out?

The Power of Peer Support in Overdose Prevention

Latest Insights & Research

Tag: peer support

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every Thursday morning.