Peer Workers in the Behavioral and Integrated Health Workforce: Opportunities and Future Directions

TLDR

The peer workforce in behavioral health is expanding, with workers in recovery providing support across diverse settings and helping patients engage in treatment and recovery. This article examines how organizations and peer workers experience the integration of peer support into behavioral health services. It compares peer services in mental health and substance use settings and explores their roles in integrated behavioral and physical health care. The article appears in a supplement sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Abstract

The growth of the peer workforce in behavioral health services is bringing opportunities to organizations and institutions that serve people living with mental and substance use disorders and their families. Peer workers are defined as people in recovery from mental illness or substance use disorders or both that possess specific peer support competencies. Similar roles are identified for families of people in recovery. Peer support has been implemented in a vast range of behavioral health services, including in the relatively new use of peer support in criminal justice and emergency service environments. Behavioral health services are striving to integrate peer workers into their workforce to augment existing service delivery, in part because peer support has demonstrated effectiveness in helping people with behavioral health conditions to connect to, engage in, and be active participants in treatment and recovery support services across all levels of care. This article describes the experiences that organizations and their workforce, including peer workers, encounter as they integrate peer support services into the array of behavioral health services. Specific attention is given to the similarities and differences of services provided by peers in mental health settings and substance use settings, and implications for future directions. The article also addresses the role of peer workers in integrated behavioral and physical healthcare services.This article is part of a supplement entitled The Behavioral Health Workforce: Planning, Practice, and Preparation, which is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.