I started a weekly peer support group for women survivors of trauma in April 2018. It took a few weeks to get any uptake on the offer. In the beginning a few people who knew me trickled in to provide some encouragement. Some people working at the center that eventually agreed to give me access to a room to host the event, told me that if people got the sense that I was in it for the long haul, they would then start taking me up on my offer. I was determined to persist, so I stuck it out even though over the first 6 weeks I had little or no response.
However, 4 weeks ago something changed. Since then I have had 6 new attendees, 5 of whom have returned for 2 or more weeks. I think the days of me sitting alone in the room working through the workbook “Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life” are over.
There is a definite need for support for traumatized women, and most of the women I have encountered know their trauma stems from their childhoods. I’m very pleased to have my vision coming into form. It’s been a lonely path getting to this point. It feels good to have my vision validated.
Over the previous 18 months, I had met with a significant amount of resistance as I tried to launch my initiative. I wanted to talk about trauma and the lasting effects many adults experience as a result of our childhood experiences, but no one wanted to talk with me. During my initial marketing phase, I got the blank stares. I even got the accusations that “you’re just in it for the money” as I presented my endeavor as a “social enterprise.” I’ve had my eyes opened to the non-profit industrial complex – the protectionism of resources – the isolation and bullying by people who work in the human and social services sector. That was the biggest shock for me – to realize that some of the most toxic people are the ones employed to help the vulnerable. Once I realized I wasn’t going to get any help from my professional peers, and I took the reins of my project into my own hands, things started to change.
All I needed was somewhere to host my events. Finally, 2 organizations stepped up to offer space, but I wouldn’t be able to earn any money for myself from those locations. I had to accept that I would have to offer my services for free. Fortunately in the meantime another organization has stepped up and offered me paid work in a different field, so I at least have some cash flow available again.
As a result I am able to continue to offer the weekly support group and now I’m starting to get some regulars. I even have people willing to retweet my event ads on Twitter. If I can have some success with the women I am supporting, hopefully I will get more support and uptake on my vision to offer paid peer support.
In my region, we experience extremely limited access to mental health support. Increasingly, peer support is being accepted as a possible level of care – but officially it’s still in the pilot stages. Everyone doesn’t need a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or licensed counsellor, to help them deal with all their psychological challenges. Many issues can be assisted and mitigated with the help of someone who has experienced similar challenges themselves and been able to move beyond them.
With increasingly limited resources available for health care, legitimizing a tiered stream of mental health services seems reasonable and logical to me. After all, to quote Cissy White, “it’s not trauma informed if it’s not informed by trauma survivors”. People with first voice experience bring a wealth of competency to recovery. They’ve successfully navigated their own challenges adequately enough to be in a position to assist others. As long as they know their limitations, peers can and do play a valuable role in health care support.
With all the resistance I’ve faced with offering my contributions into trauma recovery, one of the greatest benefits I have received is realizing that peer support is my niche. Professional colleagues can challenge me all they want regarding my credentials, but I know without a shadow of doubt where I’ve been and how I got where I am today. I am the inspiration others can benefit from, to give them the encouragement and hope that they too can bounce back from desolation, with a little help from informed friends.
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