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.