PEER CONNECTION

A Unique and Uniquely Effective Program for People Wrestling With

Co-Occurring Disorders

somewhere in smallsbury…

Richard Bearman

Jennifer Mahoney

Review of the Literature

Incidence and prevalence rates

Estimates of treatment outcomes

Data Collection

Subjects

Settings

Method

Data base

48.6 % of all who began the

Peer Connection program are

clean, sober, and stable at least a

year later.

October, 2011 data; N = 47

The Bottom Line

Peer Connection

108 West Lehigh Avenue Salisbury, Maryland 21801 Phone # (410) 546-1822 Program Director - Jennifer Mahoney

Peer Connection is a division of Go-Getters, Inc.

Go-Getters, Inc. is a voluntary community of friendship providing sanctuary and support to

adults recovering from severe mental illness on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland

Mission #1(Self)

To improve our members quality of life by teaching them to manage their mental health & addiction

Mission # 2 (Group)

To utilize a peer guided model so peers will develop self worth, responsibility and accountability for self and others

The Main Concepts

Helping others

Values versus rules

High expectations

Stress as a motivator

Problems are normal

Creating opportunities for the group to succeed

Peer Connection Lingo 101

The Problem List –handout Identify Specific Specific Specific Patterns, not Situations “Here and Now” Keeps Confrontation of Problems

from Becoming Personal or Offensive

The “When Solved” List --handout

Staff Functions

Facilitators

Roles: soothers, demanders, stimulators

Reversals

Groups

Formal

Informals

Video of group process

Mission #3 (Community)

Independence and autonomy

The Peers

Testimonials