Peer Support
Peer Support offers unique support in emergency, outpatient or inpatient mental health treatment settings, linking you with a Peer Support Specialist. A Peer Support Specialist is a person living with a mental illness who provides mentoring, guidance and support services and offers their skills to others who are experiencing psychiatric disabilities and receiving mental health services. A Peer Support Specialist provides encouragement, information and an understanding voice. We help our peers create and follow a plan for their own recovery. We also offer our experience to help our peers discover the many resources available to them as they recover.
What Can Peer Support Services Offer You?
What's In It For You
Peer Support can offer hope and support through trying times.
A Peer Specialist's personal success can inspire hope in another person in their own recovery. Peer Specialists can advocate for the person when the person struggles to advocate for themselves.
What's In It For You, cont'd.
Peer Support can educate the individual about wellness and other issues, such as how symptoms can affect one's lifestyle. It can offer support and encouragement for the person to make their own choices.
Peer Support assists an individual in planning for the time when symptoms may return and helps enable the individual to maintain a progressive path to recovery.
Who Is Eligible?
- Anyone 18 years or older and a resident
of Greene County
- Presence or history of serious mental
illness including schizophrenia, major
mood disorder, psychotic disorder NOS,
schizoaffective disorder or borderline
personality disorder
- Other diagnoses may be approved by
the managed care organization under
the exception process but persons must
meet all other criteria
- Moderate to severe functional
impairment from a mental illness that
affects one or more one of the
environmental roles: Living, Learning,
Working and Social
- The person must themselves choose
to participate
An interested person can self-refer to Greene Arc, Inc. Peer Support Program.
Who Is Eligible, cont'd.
They can also be referred by:
- A Family Member
- A Caseworker
- A Mental Health Therapist
- A Psychologist or Psychiatrist
- A Nurse Practitioner
- A Medical Doctor
- Any Hospitalization Program
- If you were recently hospitalized
and will be leaving the hospital,
the staff can refer you
A referral can then be reviewed and a written recommendation must be signed by a Licensed Healing Arts Practitioner, which includes the following:
- Psychologist
- Physician
- Physician's Assistant OR
- Certified Registered Nurse
Practitioner
How To Get Started
Do you know someone who could benefit from our Peer Support Program?
We'd love to tell you more about the Program and help you apply!
Contact Jessica Horton, Director of Mental Health at
jhorton@greenearc.org to set up an appointment.
