Peer Support Program

Course Outline

The objective of a peer support program is to provide early intervention into the human issues in the workplace, resolving
them before they become crises. Peer support programs meet this objective by skilling key members of your organisation to
identify “peers-in-need”. These key members support and if necessary refer for professional assistance. The peer support
workshop is an in-depth workshop designed to prepare ‘peers’ for the role of identifying, understanding and supporting
peers in need. It not only discusses and explains issues, but provides opportunities to workshop specific issues that might be
relevant in the workplace, and to practice techniques in the form of role playing. All participants are provided with a peer
support reference manual.

Content

• Peer support defined
• Qualities and characteristics required
• What does being a ‘peer’ mean - defining the role of peer
• The support process
  > Listening skills
  > Building rapport
  > Verbal responses and behaviours
  > Non-verbal communication
• Issues peers are faced with:
  > Defining and understanding key issues
  > How to respond to key issues
  > Finding options
  > Processing and sharing experiences
• Self-Evaluation Questionnaire

Expected Outcomes

At the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

• Describe the nature and purpose of peer support programs
• Define and understand the role of a peer support person
• Identify peers in need and implement the appropriate skills
  required to understand and support peers in need