What Is Peer Support?

Peer support is support from someone who understands because they have lived through challenges of their own.

At MHPS, our groups are led by trained peer support professionals who bring both lived experience and professional training to their work. Our peers may have personal experience with mental health challenges, recovery, autism, PTSD and more. That shared understanding can make it easier to talk openly without feeling judged, explained away, or alone. Peer support is not about someone telling you how to live your life. It is about connecting as equals, learning from one another, sharing practical ideas and resources, and having a place where your experiences are respected. A peer specialist might listen, ask questions, share something from their own experience when it is helpful, help you identify what matters to you, or simply be there while you work through something difficult.

Peer support is built around the idea that recovery, growth, and well-being look different for everyone. You decide what your goals are and what kind of support feels useful to you.

Peer support and therapy can both be valuable, but they serve different purposes. Peer support is based on shared lived experience and mutual connection. Therapy is provided by a trained clinician and may include assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical approaches.

You do not have to choose one or the other. Many people benefit from having both professional mental health care and supportive relationships with people who truly understand what they are going through.