Become a Peer Mentor volunteer

Open Mental Health peer mentor volunteers are part of our Peer Connections project. The project aims to help people with their health and wellbeing, through mutually supportive one-to-one relationships. Peer Mentors call on their own lived experience of mental health challenges to help others seeking support.

What is Peer Mentoring?

Peer Mentoring usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific experience (Peer Mentor) and a person who is new to that experience or feels they would like support (Peer Mentee). Peer mentoring provides individuals who have faced or are facing a specific life experience the chance to learn from those who have recovered from a similar experience. It can also be incredibly helpful to those giving peer support.

The Benefits of Peer Mentoring

Some of the benefits of either giving or receiving peer support are:

Increased understanding or insight into mental health issues
Improved coping strategies
Increased confidence and self-esteem
An increase in hopefulness
Increased social activities and / or involvement in the wider community

Becoming a Peer mentor

We are always looking for individuals with lived experience of mental health difficulties to help to support others going through a similar experience. Peer support can be really beneficially for both mentor and mentee.

Below Lucy describes her journey from accessing mental health services to becoming an Open Mental Health peer mentor.

How and when mentoring sessions take place

Due to the current pandemic restrictions mentoring sessions will take place over the phone or virtual meetings via TEAMs or Zoom. Once pandemic restrictions are eased, we will also offer in person meetings. These will take place in a community space and never in the mentee or mentors’ home.

Mentoring sessions will generally take place during the week Monday – Friday 9am – 7pm.

All mentors will receive training and guidance before any meetings take place.

How to get involved

If you would like to become a peer mentor volunteer or would like more information about the role, please contact Sue Hunter, Project Manager, at susan.hunter@rethink.org.