Peer Specialists: Enriching the Crisis Continuum-View Presentation Slides

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The American Psychiatric Association hosted a live webinar on March 17, 2023, focused on integrating Peer Specialists into crisis systems, particularly within the 9-8-8 mental health crisis framework. The goal of the webinar was to explore the benefits and methods of involving Peer Specialists—individuals with lived experience in mental health recovery—in crisis intervention services.<br /><br />The 9-8-8 initiative mandates states to improve their response to behavioral health crises by ensuring 24/7 availability of support via calls, texts, and chats, and facilitating mobile crisis responses and crisis stabilization units. The inclusion of Peer Specialists is intended to enhance these services by providing empathetic support and fostering a recovery-oriented approach.<br /><br />The roles of Peer Specialists in the crisis continuum cover administrative duties, direct interventions, and leadership, particularly within crisis contact centers and mobile crisis teams. Their involvement has shown promising outcomes such as reduced hospitalization rates, healthcare costs, and arrest rates, as well as improved consumer satisfaction and suicide intervention outcomes. Peer Specialists contribute significantly to de-escalation, rapport-building, and linking individuals to appropriate support and resources.<br /><br />Crisis services incorporating Peer Specialists aim to reduce reliance on law enforcement and emergency medical services, focusing instead on creating safe, supportive environments, such as “living room” models for crisis stabilization. These models strive to feel more like home and provide non-judgmental, dignified support, often facilitated by peer support workers and professional counselors.<br /><br />The webinar also offered continuing education credits for attendees across various professions. It emphasized the need for systemic integration of Peer Specialists and guided participants on pursuing funding for such initiatives. Future webinars are set to explore other aspects of crisis intervention strategies.

Keywords

American Psychiatric Association

Peer Specialists

9-8-8 mental health crisis

crisis intervention

behavioral health crises

mobile crisis responses

crisis stabilization units

recovery-oriented approach

de-escalation

funding initiatives