Peer-to-Peer

What is NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer Program?

Peer-to-Peer is a unique, experiential learning program for people with any serious mental illness who are interested in establishing and maintaining their wellness and recovery.

The course was written by Kathryn Cohan McNulty, a person with a psychiatric disability who is also a former provider and manager in the mental health field and a longtime mutual support group member and facilitator.

An advisory board comprised of NAMI consumer members, in consultation with Joyce Burland, Ph.D., author of the successful NAMI Family-to-Family Education program, helped guide the curriculum’s development.

Since 2005, NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer Recovery Program has been supported by AstraZeneca.

What does the course include?

Peer-to-Peer consists of ten two-hour units and is taught by a team of two trained “Mentors” and a volunteer support person who are personally experienced at living well with mental illness.

Mentors are trained in an intensive three day training session, and are supplied with teaching manuals.

Participants come away from the course with a binder of hand-out materials, as well as many other tangible resources: an advance directive; a "relapse prevention plan" to help identify tell-tale feelings, thoughts, behavior, or events that may warn of impending relapse and to organize for intervention; mindfulness exercises to help focus and calm thinking; and survival skills for working with providers and the general public.

Check back for class availability or contact the NAMI Greater Indianapolis office at 317-257-7517 or info@namiindy.org.

Peer-to-Peer Class Topic List

Each class contains a combination of lecture and interactive exercise material and closes with Mindfulness Practice (techniques offered to develop and expand awareness). Each class builds on the one before: attendance each week is strongly recommended.

Week One

Welcome

Introductions

Course orientation

Questions and answers

Week Two

Icebreaker

Group ground rules

Discussion on course values

Mental illnesses as traumatic experiences

Consumer stages of recovery

Stigma

Culture

Mindfullness

Week Three

"Its not my fault" - mental illnesses as no-blame disorders

Brain biology and research

The challenges and benefits of medication

Relapse prevention

Creative visualization

Mindfulness

Week Four

Story Telling - sharing of personal experiences

Mindfulness

Week Five

Information and discussion about:

Schizophrenia

Depression

Bipolar Disorder

Schizoaffective Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Relapse prevention continued

Accounts of wisdom and strength

Mindfulness

Week Six

Information and discussions about:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Panic Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Dual Diagnosis

Relapse prevention continued

Substance abuse and addiction

The role of acceptance in recovery

Mindfulness

Week Seven

Understanding emotions

Complete relapse prevention

Focusing on experiences of joy

Spirituality

Physical health and mental health

Mindfulness

Week Eight

Suicide and prevention

Coming out of isolation

Mental illness and disclosure

Take-home tool for making difficult choices

Surviving a hospital stay

Advance Directive for Mental Healthcare Decision Making

Week Nine

Guest Speaker

Hot buttons and triggers

Working with providers

Advance Directive continued

Incarceration - survival and preparedness

Mindfulness

Week Ten

Another look at consumer stages of recovery

Empowerment

Advocacy

Opportunities for involvement in NAMI

Mindfulness

Evaluations

Celebration