M3 · Social Integration
M3
Slide 26
CONTENT
Benefits of Peer and Community Involvement
Evidence suggests structured peer involvement may:

Increase service engagement

Improve trust in providers

Reduce perceived stigma

Strengthen adherence

Support identity reconstruction

Promote recovery orientation

Peer workers can function as relational bridges between professionals and service users, reducing power asymmetry.
Community engagement initiatives — such as volunteering, education, cultural participation or neighbourhood projects — rebuild social belonging.
Belonging protects recovery.
Risks and Safeguards
Peer and community involvement must be implemented responsibly.
RISKS INCLUDE:

Tokenistic participation

Emotional overexposure

Re-traumatisation

Exploitation through unpaid labour

Burnout

Role confusion

EFFECTIVE PEER PROGRAMMES REQUIRE:

Clear role definitions

Fair compensation

Professional supervision

Trauma-informed structures

Ongoing training

Voluntary participation

Without safeguards, empowerment rhetoric may mask new vulnerabilities.