Mental Health: Carer peer work in mental health

Carer peer support models

• *Assessment of peer-conceptualised, written and led single-session group interventions for carers supporting a person with borderline personality disorder. Brown R, Heidari P, Taylor K et al. Advances in Mental Health, 2022:1-12
• Peer models in mental health for caregivers and families. Acri M, Hooley CD, Richardson N et al. Community Mental Health Journal, 2017, 53(2):241-249
• Peer support interventions for family carers of adults with chronic mental or physical illness who are living at home. Burnell K, Charlesworth G, Feast AR, et al. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016, 2016(5).
• *Occupational therapy influence on a carer peer support model in a clinical mental health service. Bourke C, Sanders B, Allchin B, et al. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2015, 62(5), 299-305.

Children of parents with a mental illness

• Outcomes of the ON FIRE peer support programme for children and adolescents in families with mental health problems. Foster K, McPhee I, Fethney J, et al. Child & Family Social Work, 2016, 21(3), 295-306.

Co-design

• *Co-designing consumer and carer peer support principles to assess quality. Otto J, Makela E, Alam S et al. Advances in Mental Health, 2022:1-12

Family psycho-education

• Changes in families' caregiving experiences through involvement as participants then facilitators in a family peer-education program for mental disorders in Japan. Kageyama M, Yokoyama K, Nakamura Y, et al. Family Process, 2017, 56(2), 408-422.
• Outcomes of a family peer education program for families of youth and adults with mental illness. Schiffman J, Reeves GM, Kline E, et al. International Journal of Mental Health, 2015, 44(4), 303-315.
• Sustained outcomes of a peer-taught family education program on mental illness. Lucksted A, Medoff D, Burland J, et al. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2013, 127(4), 279-286.
• Outcomes of a randomized study of a peer-taught family-to-family education program for mental illness. Dixon LB, Lucksted A, Medoff DR, et al. Psychiatric Services, 2011, 62(6), 591-597.

Helplines

• Meeting unmet needs of families of persons with mental illness: Evaluation of a family peer support helpline. Shor R, & Birnbaum M. Community Mental Health Journal, 2012, 48(4), 482-488.

Hospital experience

• *Understanding carer experiences in public adult mental health services using carer peer support data. Mercuri A, Burton J, Epifanio A et al. Advances in Mental Health, 2022:1-20

Self care

• Clinical effectiveness of a web-based peer-supported self-management intervention for relatives of people with psychosis or bipolar REACT): Online, observer-blind, randomised controlled superiority trial. Lobban F, Akers N, Appelbe D, et al. BMC Psychiatry, 2020, 20(1), 160.
• Protocol for an online randomised controlled trial to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a peer-supported self-management intervention for relatives of people with psychosis or bipolar disorder: Relatives education and coping toolkit (REACT). Lobban F, Robinson H, Appelbe D, et al. BMJ Open, 2017, 7(7), e016965.

Train the trainers

• Evaluation of a web-based training model for family peer advocates in children's mental health. Horwitz SM, Cervantes P, Kuppinger AD, et al. Psychiatric Services, 2020, 71(5), 502-505.
• Evaluation of a train-the-trainers model for family peer advocates in children's mental health. Hoagwood KE, Olin SS, Storfer-Isser A, et al. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 2018, 27(4), 1130-1136.

Youth services and early intervention

• Peer-driven family support services in the context of first-episode psychosis: Participant perceptions from a Canadian early intervention programme. Levasseur MA, Ferrari M, McIlwaine S, et al. Early intervention in psychiatry, 2019, 13(2), 335-341.
• *Exploring peer support needs of caregivers for youth with mental illness or addictions concerns in family navigation services. Markoulakis R, Turner M, Wicik K, et al. Community Mental Health Journal, 2018, 54(5), 555-561.
• ​*Family peer support work in an early intervention youth mental health service. Leggatt M, & Woodhead G. Early intervention in psychiatry, 2016, 10(5), 446-451.
• *Youth and caregiver access to peer advocates and satisfaction with mental health services. Radigan M, Wang R, Chen Y, et al. Community Mental Health Journal, 2014, 50(8), 915-921.

This video from the Project Air Strategy interviews a carer peer worker who supports families, partners and carers living with personality disorder

Australian

• Tandem: representing Victorian mental health carers - Victorian peak body
• Centre for Mental Health Learning Victoria: Peer Inside - peer workforce development
• National Mental Health Commission - Consumers and carers
• Mental Health Reform Victoria - responding to the Royal Commission into Mental Health

International

• PeerZone - lived expertise with resources by Mary O'Hagan (NZ)
• Intentional Peer Support (International) - a framework for peer work (US)
• National Empowerment Centre - recovery, hope and emotional CPR (US)