An exploratory study of the peer support worker role within a multi-disciplinary mental health team: multiple perspectives in an Irish context

Introduction: Peer Support Workers (PSWrs) are employed in mental health services with the purpose of supporting service users by utilizing their own personal experience of mental health difficulties. The introduction of a new role into an existing team or to complement an existing care pathway constitutes a complex intervention, for which systematic feasibility and piloting work in both development and evaluation are a necessity. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore and compare the views and experiences of PSWrs, Supervisors, and Mental Health Professionals (MHPs) in relation to the employment of PSWrs in 4 mental health services in Ireland. Methodology: The overall research design aimed to collect information and draw conclusions for the future employment of PSWrs within statutory mental health services. Each participant group took part in a semi-structured interview (PSWrs: 4; Supervisors: 2; MHPs: 6) yielding a total of 12 interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted and the data compared across the three participant types. Results: Across nine topics, a total of 53 themes emerged from qualitative data. Discussion: Diverging views across participant groups, methodological strengths and weaknesses and significant implications for future directions for research, implementation and policy were discussed. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest the importance of developing clear guidelines for the effective implementation of peer support working before the role is widely rolled out in mental health settings and further research into their effectiveness be considered.