Peer Support for Challenging Situations
Through the Mental Health Safe Project’s work helping people cope with stigma, discrimination, and disempowerment, we have learned that many people feel helpless and isolated when they encounter challenges at their organizations.
The Empowerment Peer Support Group is an online community that allows people to anonymously learn from each other’s experiences, receive support, and provide feedback to one another through a centralized, anonymized MH Safe Empowerment Newsletter. Members can join anonymously, for free, by filling out this form and sharing their e-mail address. Anyone can share specific problems at their organization, anonymously, via this form and all members receive monthly updates of the situations being shared by support group members where they can anonymously share feedback and ideas.
https://forms.gle/Z7L3ET3c3h2AoY8g9
History of the Empowerment Peer Support Group
Originally, the MH Safe Empowerment Peer Support Group was launched to support people experiencing challenges dealing within a single, specific organization. This organization’s members were joining our free group until the organization’s General Counsel’s Office removed the support group postings. They stressed that they can do so for any reason and ban posters without notice.
Recognizing the problem of organizations targeting the group for removal, this group’s focus was broadened, and opened to all. It became this single, united Empowerment Peer Support Group. This way, people can help each other across all organizations and it will hopefully be more difficult for any organization to prevent its constituents from accessing it.