Trauma Informed Collaboration

Connecting with Community

Connection and community have always been key for mental wellness.

Yet connection can feel hard to find when people or communities are stigmatized. Negative and uninformed beliefs about mental health, behaviours, or communities that other people have (public stigma), or that we start to believe about ourselves (internalized stigma) can make a wellness journey feel lonely. Even today, people can face exclusion and discrimination. But nobody should be alone, and everyone deserves support free of judgement.

That's why people who have lived similar experiences have worked to create spaces where we can connect as equals, respecting that all of us bring value. Instead of judging or looking down and trying to "fix", peer support workers show up as members of a community to partner in supporting each other's resilience. These partnerships create an intentional space to connect and share. Blending together our experiences and growth in those conversations creates something fresh for both people. A new lens on where we are, where we've been, where we're going.

As someone who has your own lived experience, you can bring a unique relatability and understanding into peoples lives. You can offer a relationship that's different than what healthcare professionals could offer, and a huge part of support. You've gone through so much, and that gives you credibility. You can use your experiences to truly empathize without judgement. Even if life still gets difficult, practicing self-awareness and self-care strategies that support your wellness represents a recovery approach towards a sense of hopefulness and control. For others struggling with eating disorders, connecting with you shares a powerful vision of hope for their own journey.

Peer mentors can create unique and powerful relationships. You've made your way to the road of recovery, and probably learned a lot of things that helped you get there. But while we refer to you as a mentor, these relationships are partnerships; they aren't about one person needing to help another. We're partners - equals - and we can both learn and grow through our partnership. Instead of focusing on one person needing to change, we focus on nurturing relationships that help our community support each other. It invites us to be a part of something bigger, where we are all accountable to supporting each other. We all have the story of our experience and what's happened to us; connecting with each other can reveal new possibilities for the next chapter. As we do, we can turn our focus from what we need to stop doing towards what we do want. Then, together, we can create a safe place to practice living towards our goals.

The Tasks of a Peer Support Worker

• • • Task 1: Connection
      

    • Task 2: Worldview – Helping each other understand how we’ve come to know what we
      
      know
      

    • Task 3: Mutuality – Redefining help as a co-learning and growing process
      

    • Task 4: Moving Towards – Helping each other move towards what we want instead of away from what we don’t want

Principles of Peer Support

• • • High regard for the emotional and physical safety of the peer, ensuring that confidentiality is always protected within legal limits
      

    • A commitment to ensure all interactions with a peer are appropriate (e.g., interactions are empowering and trustworthy and never sexual or romantically intimate), and are intended to protect and promote the safety and recovery of the peer
      

    • Unconditional respect for the peer, their efforts and their time by working with them to develop a relationship that is dependable, flexible and considerate of the needs of both the peer and the peer support worker
      

    • A commitment to personal development and learning more about the practice of peer support, taking advantage, whenever possible, of relevant educational and training opportunities.
      

    • Consistent demonstration of a belief in the guiding values and principles of practice found in these Guidelines, as well as a genuine willingness to follow a Code of Conduct based on these values
      

    • Recognize the importance of an individual approach to recovery, respect where each individual happens to be in their own journey of recovery, and recognize that the goals, personal values, beliefs and chosen path of the peer may not be the same as their own
      

    • Honour and encourage self-determination by working with the peer to co-create and explore options rather than simply providing direction, and empower the peer to take steps forward on their own rather than “helping” by doing it for them
      

    • Interact in a manner that keeps the focus on the peer rather than on themselves, and maintaina peer relationship that is open and flexible, making themselves available as necessary to a reasonable extent
      

    • Use recovery-based language and interact in a manner that focuses on the peer’s journey to a more hopeful, healthy and full life, rather than focusing on symptoms, diagnosis, and/or an objective set by someone other than the peer
      

    • Share aspects of their lived experience in a manner that is helpful to the peer, demonstrating compassionate understanding and inspiring hope for recovery
      

    • Practice self-care, monitor their own wellbeing and be aware of their own needs for the sake of their mental health, recognizing the need for health, personal growth, and resiliency when working as a peer support worker
      

    • Use interpersonal communication skills and strategiesto assist in the development of an open, honest, non- judgmental relationship that validates the peer’s feelings and perceptions in a manner that cultivates trust and openness
      

    • Empower peers as they explore possibilitiesand find their path towards a healthier and happier outcome with the eventual objective of encouraging disengagement from the peer support relationship when the time is right for the peer
      

    • Respect the various positive interventions that can play a role in promoting recovery
      

    • Respect professional boundaries of all involved when exploring with the peer how they might interact with these other professionals when questions or concerns arise
      

    • Collaborate with community partners, service providers and other stakeholders, and facilitate connections and refer peers to other resources whenever appropriate
      

    • Know personal limits, especially in relation to dealing with crises, and call for assistance (in a collaborative manner) when appropriate
      

    • Maintain high ethics and personal boundaries in relation to gift giving, inappropriate relations with peers (e.g., romantic or sexual intimacy), and/or other interactions or activities that may result in harm to the peer or to the image of peer support
      

    • Participate in continuing education and personal development to learn or enhance skills and strategies that will assist in their peer support work

Okay, so what does this relationship look like?

• • • IPS relationships are viewed as partnerships that invite and inspire both parties to learn and grow, rather than as one person needing to ‘help’ another.

    • IPS doesn’t start with the assumption of a problem. With IPS, each of us pays attention to how we have learned to make sense of our experiences, then uses the relationship to create new ways of seeing, thinking, and doing.

    • IPS promotes a trauma-informed way of relating. Instead of asking “What’s wrong?” we learn to ask “What happened?”

    • IPS examines our lives in the context of mutually accountable relationships and communities — looking beyond the mere notion of individual responsibility for change.

    • IPS encourages us to increasingly live and move towards what we want instead of focusing on what we need to stop or avoid doing.

Understanding how past experiences continue to affect people in the present helps us create safe, nonjudgmental spaces for the people we work with. Many people who experience mental health challenges have faced traumatic events, stress, or prejudice in their past. Lots of things influence what events we face, but also how we experience them, and how they affect us: our age at the time, our supports, the resources available to us, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, culture, financial resources, disability, education, and so many more. It's important to remember that even if you and your peer share similar events in your past, how that event is experienced can be quite different - but both experience are equally valid.

Traumatic experience can continue to affect people in many ways:

(1) Physically, our bodies might have learned it needs to be on guard; this includes hyper vigilance, increased arousal, and difficulty sleeping (perhaps our most vulnerable state).

(2) Emotionally, trauma can influence what we feel, how we relate to our emotions, and how easy it is to emotionally connect with others.

(3) Mentally, stress hormones and the activation of the "emotion" or "fear" center in our brain (the amygdala) can make extremely vivid memories of certain parts of a traumatic experience, while leaving other parts hazy.

(4) Socially, people might be overwhelmed and start to withdraw, or really depend on other people.

(5) Spiritually, people's beliefs about life can also be re-processed, shaken, shifted, confirmed.

"Trauma informed care" describes how we can safely develop trust and connect with our peers who are living with the effects of trauma. Approaching everyone kindly through these strategies can help your peer feel safe, even without knowing about trauma they may have experienced:

• • Validate their experience. If you do realize they've had a traumatic event, it's important to validate their personal experience of it. Remember that even if you and your peer share similar events in your past, how that event is experienced and how it affects each of you can be quite different - and both experiences are equally valid. Consider how their thoughts and behaviors may be affected by what they've experienced. For example, there are many ways for trauma to impact an approach to eating: feeling out of control and needing to regain control over something; needing validation and being hyper-aware of social beauty or fitness images as a way to access that; seeking comfort; or other personal ways.

  • Put them in the driver's seat. Trauma experiences often involves a loss of control over ourselves, our lives, or the world around us. Always ask yourself how you can protect your peer's sense of control - where and when do they want to meet? What do they want to talk about, share, or not share? What boundaries would make them comfortable? Make sure they know they're in control of what, when, and how much you talk about - and that if at any time it starts to feel like too much you can step back and save the rest for later.

  • Clear Communication. Being transparent is key in building trust. Use "I" statements to be clear about what you're saying ("I feel..."; "I think...", "I need..."). Ask them what they need, and what boundaries they want, and support them when they express that. Consider how your words or behaviors might feel different to them. It may be helpful to talk about "green" "yellow" and "red lights": are there triggers they want you to know about? How do they know when they're becoming anxious, stressed, or triggered? What do they need to do in those times? How would they like you to behave differently?

  • Respect their boundaries. Part of keeping your peer comfortably in the driver's seat is proving they can set and control safe boundaries. These include physical boundaries, like personal space; past experiences might may them uncomfortable being touched or hugged. Your peer should feel in control of emotional boundaries too. Validate their feelings; different emotions may come up for them than you have had, but that doesn't mean they need to change how they feel. People should also be able to set up mental boundaries around their thoughts; whether they keep private or share, or change or hold onto their thoughts is all up to them. Don't assume what they may be comfortable with, support them in voicing their boundaries, and respect their requests. You will have boundaries of your own too, and those are important too! A healthy partnership will keep you both feeling in control of when and how much you want to share your bubbles.

  • Cheer on their strengths! Notice what they've done to help themselves cope, and how they've developed new strengths. Our growth can give us evidence that maybe we're in a safer place now then we used to be, or increasingly equipped to support our resilience. Express interest and respect for the tools they have developed.

  • Nurturing voice. How would you want a supportive friend or parent to phrase what you want to say? What tone of voice would make you feel genuinely supported and cared for without judgement?

  • Avoid re-traumatizing. Ask yourself if what you do or say could be triggering in any way. Could how you're going to act make them feel uncomfortable or threaten their sense of control? Does what you're going to say make it sound like you're in the driver's seat? How could you best highlight their control over conversations, situations, physical interactions, and boundaries? Many people who have experienced traumatic events may also have associated trauma from how people have treated them afterwards. That makes it especially important to avoid offhand comments that could invalidate our peer's experiences (making it feel like you don't believe them, that they don't have their facts straight, or that their emotional response is somehow "wrong").

  • People may have faced traumatic experiences where they weren't in control of themselves, situations, or what happened to them. This can affect their behavior today, including their eating patterns. With that awareness, leave judgement at the door and approach people with empathy, validation, and kindness. Support your peer in feeling that they are in control of their life. Use clear communication to establish healthy boundaries that highlight their ability to choose what conversations, situations, and interactions they're comfortable with. Work to make this relationship a safe space to practice boundary setting, self awareness, and communicating needs. Through developing a safe relationship you can be a part of your peer's healing, empowering them as they learn to re-engaging with life.

• • • A sense of hope for the future, rather than hopelessness, allowing peer support workers to be beacons of hope for others
      

    • A sense of mastery over one’s life that includes self-care and resiliency strategies to help maintain a sense of wellness and emotional health, even if mental health challenges and/or symptoms are still present
      

    • A self-awareness that allows a person to know when stressors or stress levels are becoming unhealthy
      

    • A confident and empowered sense of self within their relationships and their community that contributes to quality of life
      

    • A readiness and ability to share aspects of their own lived experience in a manner that is helpful to the peer and keeps the focus on the peer’s experience