A Qualitative Exploration of Peer Supporters’ Experiences of Undertaking a Co-Produced Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Training Programme

Intro: Peer supporters play a crucial role in mental health and support services, but their own mental health and emotional wellbeing are often neglected by themselves, and, often, their organisations. Here, we report findings from a qualitative interview study of peer supporters who completed a co-produced emotional wellbeing training programme. Method: Ten semi-structured interviews with peer supporters working in the North East of England were conducted to explore their experiences of the training programme. Results: Thematic analysis of the data produced three overarching themes. In theme 1, ‘Increasing psychological preparedness and identifying self-care and coping strategies’, we found that peer supporters improved their knowledge of how to manage sensitive topics such as aggression and suicide and felt more confident in their peer support roles resultantly. In theme 2, ‘It’s good to know you’re not alone’, peer supporters discussed their experience of loneliness in their roles, and as a result realised their own need for peer support to help maintain their wellbeing. Theme 3, ‘Toward the future: next steps’ encapsulated peer supporters’ willingness to continue their role development and to create a peer support network to continue to obtain mutual support. Conclusion: Our findings emphasise the perceived emotional wellbeing benefits of a coproduced peer supporter training programme. Participants highlighted the need for coproduced training programmes that are (1) emotion-focussed, (2) provide access to other peer supporters, and (3) provide future avenues for a peer supporter network of mutual support and professional development activities and training opportunities. Patient or Public Contribution: Individuals with lived experience of mental ill health and peer support were consulted in the development of interview questions, and provided feedback on the finalised themes to ensure the analysis and interpretations were congruent with their experiences.