[Intentional peer support]. / El apoyo de pares intencional.

In this paper, we will describe the core themes behind the practice of Intentional Peer Support (IPS), offering a unique perspective on what has commonly been described as "mental illness" and the power dynamics inherent in traditional helping relationships. Through intentional conversations that explore "how we've come to know what we know" and challenge the naming of our experience by others, we begin to find new ways of understanding and responding to our own and other people's experiences. In addition, we emphasize the importance of mutuality in relationships. Both people share responsibility for the relationship, and no one is assumed to be the sole holder of "truth". Mutuality becomes harder but even more critical to practice when we begin to fear for "safety" of the other. It is our belief that as we practice IPS across all relationships in our lives, we can begin to tackle some of the complex ways in which language, roles, power and culture have contributed to our own sense of internalized oppression in any form.

El apoyo de pares intencional / [Intentional peer support].

In this paper, we will describe the core themes behind the practice of Intentional Peer Support (IPS), offering a unique perspective on what has commonly been described as "mental illness" and the power dynamics inherent in traditional helping relationships. Through intentional conversations that explore "how we’ve come to know what we know" and challenge the naming of our experience by others, we begin to find new ways of understanding and responding to our own and other people’s experiences. In addition, we emphasize the importance of mutuality in relationships. Both people share responsibility for the relationship, and no one is assumed to be the sole holder of "truth". Mutuality becomes harder but even more critical to practice when we begin to fear for "safety" of the other. It is our belief that as we practice IPS across all relationships in our lives, we can begin to tackle some of the complex ways in which language, roles, power and culture have contributed to our own sense of internalized oppression in any form.

El apoyo de pares intencional. / [Intentional peer support].

In this paper, we will describe the core themes behind the practice of Intentional Peer Support (IPS), offering a unique perspective on what has commonly been described as "mental illness" and the power dynamics inherent in traditional helping relationships. Through intentional conversations that explore "how weve come to know what we know" and challenge the naming of our experience by others, we begin to find new ways of understanding and responding to our own and other peoples experiences. In addition, we emphasize the importance of mutuality in relationships. Both people share responsibility for the relationship, and no one is assumed to be the sole holder of "truth". Mutuality becomes harder but even more critical to practice when we begin to fear for "safety" of the other. It is our belief that as we practice IPS across all relationships in our lives, we can begin to tackle some of the complex ways in which language, roles, power and culture have contributed to our own sense of internalized oppression in any form.

Crisis and connection.

Psychiatric interventions for crisis care lie at the center of the conflict between involuntary commitment and recovery/wellness systems in mental health services. Though crisis can mean completely different things to people who have the experience, the general public has been convinced by the media that people with psychiatric disabilities are to be feared. More and more this has led to social control but is erroneously still called treatment. This does nothing to help the person and in fact further confuses people already trying to make meaning of their experience. This paper offers a fundamental change in understanding and working with people in psychiatric crises. Rather than objectifying and naming the crisis experience in relation to illness, people can begin to explore the subjective experience of the person in crisis while offering their own subjective reality to the relationship. Out of this shared dynamic in which a greater sense of trust is built, the crisis can be an opportunity to create new meaning, and offer people mutually respectful relationships in which extreme emotional distress no longer has to be pathologized. The authors, who have had personal experience with psychiatric crises, have provided this kind of successful crisis counseling and planning and have designed and implemented peer support alternatives to psychiatric hospitalizations that support this model.

The role of work in the recovery of persons with psychiatric disabilities.

This study explored the role of work in the recovery of employed and unemployed persons with psychiatric disabilities. Fourteen persons with psychiatric disabilities participated in semi-structured interviews. Content analysis revealed that the experience of recovery was based on six major dimensions: self-definition, empowerment, connections to others, meaning of work, vocational future, and meaning of recovery. Differences in these six dimensions led to the identification of three profiles of recovery: recovery as uncertain, recovery as a self-empowering experience, and recovery as a challenging experience. Each profile described a specific context in which participation in work or avoidance of work can be understood and vocational interventions can be designed.

[Crisis and connection.]. / Voies nouvelles en psychiatrie. Situation de crise et soutien entre pairs.

Psychiatric interventions for crisis care lie at the center of the conflict between forced treatment and recovery/wellness systems in mental health services. Though crisis can mean completely different things to people who have the experience, the general public has been taught a unilateral fear response based on media representation. More and more this has led to social control but is erroneously still called treatment This does nothing to help the person and in fact further confuses people already trying to make meaning of their experience. This paper offers a fundamental change in understanding and working with psychiatric crises. Rather than objectifying and naming the crisis experience in relation to the construct of illness, our goal is to develop a relational, contextual way of thinking about crisis response. In that we will explore the concepts of mutuality, proactive crisis planning, the development of negotiated power and meaning, risk and safety, "re-storying" and finally we will offer an argument for creating congruent research strategies that support new ways of thinking about crisis. The authors, who had personal experience with psychiatric crisis and hospitalization, have been involved in the development of peer programs since 1990. Dave Hilton is the director of the Office of Consumer Affairs in New Hampshire and was one of the first OCA directors to access funds for statewide peer support program implementation. Shery Mead is the past director of three peer support agencies including one peer run crisis alternative. She currently consults with peer support and traditional mental health programs nationwide.