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As part of the evolution of the strengths-based approach in the criminological field in recent decades, various countries in the world operate peer-based programs in prisons and in the community. These programs utilize the personal knowledge and live experience of convicts and addicted people, that is, wounded healers, to promote recovery and rehabilitation processes. Studies point to the many advantages inherent in such peer work, especially for the aid providers. However, little is known about the perceived effects of professional peer work for people with a history of addiction and incarceration, as the current study suggests, the first of its kind in Israel. The respondents were 23 trained men and women with a history of traumas, addiction, and incarceration, all are formally employed in peer worker positions in various therapeutic settings, in prison and/or in the community. The findings indicate that peer work enhances the participants' social capital, and promotes their positive change and recovery process, albeit with some difficulties and challenges. The paper discusses these findings from the emerging Convict Therapy perspective and related approaches of positive criminology and desistance from crime. Specifically, our findings expand the literature on wounded healers in the criminological field and reinforce the culture of 'giving back' embodied in the role of peer supporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeatedly, peer support (PS) research in mental health settings has indicated the influential impact of PS on recovery outcomes, including community reintegration and overall quality of life. Despite these findings, and the bolstering of PS in UK healthcare policy, PS remains underdeveloped in UK mental health settings. This is particularly pronounced in forensic mental health settings where the development of PS has remained heavily restricted by application difficulties in secure care models. The current study aims to provide one of the first in-depth explorations of PS experiences for both service users (SUs) and peer support workers (PSWs) in UK forensic mental health services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants (ten SUs, three PSWs) and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four primary themes were identified detailing the experiences and challenges of forensic-based PS: Experiences of PS from SU perspective; Experiences of PS from PSW perspective; Contrasting care: Addressing the "Us and them" divide, and Further service development. Recommendations identified for progressing PS center on integration improvements, increasing the variety of peer-led interventions, and incorporating PS's "flexible" nature into traditional models of care. Further action is needed to develop and embed PS in forensic care, including guidance for the development of strategies and policy, and direction for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackgroundObjectiveMethods and measuresResultsConclusionsAround twenty percent of meningitis survivors experience after-effects. However, very little research on their psychological impact has been conducted. This report details a small explorative investigation into these psychological impacts.To explore the impact sequelae have on the meningitis survivors affected.Thematic analysis of one-hundred individual user’s blog posts, self-reporting one or more sequelae after a diagnosis of meningitis.Blog posters’ experiences varied greatly. Common trends in experience were mapped onto three themes. ‘Struggling to Adjust to the New Normal’ captures blog posters’ struggles in returning to their lives post-hospitalization. ‘Navigating Possibilities for Positivity’ explores how blog posters either reported positive change due to their illness experience or felt a pressure, or inability, to do so. ‘The Impact of Knowledge and Support’ overarching two sub-themes; ‘Lack of Awareness Causing Further Suffering’ and ‘Validation Leads to Narrative Shift’. These sub-themes contrast differences in experience blog posters reported, with and without knowledge, of the cause of their symptoms and support in dealing with the resulting difficulties.Consistent and structured after-care would benefit patients experiencing sequelae. Suggestions of a possible format this could take are put forward. In addition, self-regulatory models of illness perception help explain some variations in blog posters experiences, with possible intervention plans based on these models also suggested. However, limitations, including the comparatively small and highly selected sample, mean that further research is necessary to validate the findings and assess their validity, widespread applicability, and financial feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much interest in how to develop a sense of belonging to an academic institution over the last twenty years, given the evidence that this improves student retention, satisfaction and attainment. Fostering a sense of belonging involves both psychological and sociological aspects; students need to feel like they belong and are valued by their institution, and this is developed through interactions with staff and peers. Research carried out since 2020 into belonging online has focused primarily on course-based teaching initiatives. This article will describe our 18-month pilot on a fully online qualification developing a greater sense of belonging for our students based on qualification-wide online events and their impact on student engagement and sense of belonging. Qualification-wide events are events that are open to all students on a qualification or programme, such as a law degree, as compared to events which are only available to students on a specific course. It will highlight some of the barriers students perceive to building online community, including a lack of confidence, and discuss the students' views that the responsibility for developing community lies with the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succeeding at university can be a complex matter, and the barriers are manifold for students with disabilities (SwDs). Accommodations are available for those with needs, but these alone do not meet the political goals of inclusive educations. Student ambassadors act as experienced representatives on campuses, supporting others and gaining individual benefits themselves. Approaches building on SwDs' experiences and capacities can be a means to overcome the complex barriers often faced throughout education. This scoping review aimed to map research on student ambassador interventions for SwDs in higher education and identify the interventions' key concepts. The result will inform an ambassador intervention in higher education. Six electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles of any design published between 2010 and December 2020. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. A thematic synthesis resulted in three key concepts: peer guidance and supportive relationships; building strategies and transferable skills; and advocating for change. However, no program utilises exclusively students with disabilities in ambassador roles. The results indicate a lack of research as well as awareness on the unexplored potential of actively involving SwDs in ambassador roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional work includes dealing with numerous stressors that compromise mental health. Yet, correctional scholars have dedicated limited attention to assessing the mental health support available to correctional officers at work. Therefore, we explore how officers view mental health programs, especially the Employee Assistant Program (EAP) and the Critical Incident Stress Management Program (CISM). Our findings derive from 44 semi-structured interviews with officers from 15 federal correctional institutions in Canada. Most participants found the mental health programs available at their institutions "helpful." However, they still regretted some of the program's characteristics, providing insights into alterations that can increase the effectiveness of the mental health support provided to prison staff. Such alterations comprise changing the mental health approach within correctional services from reactive to proactive and expanding the availability of professionals specialized in correctional mental health within the existing programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a community-led kaupapa Māori research project involving Whakatōhea and neighbouring rohe (areas). This project arose from a moemoeā (dream or vision) of Tawhai, a stroke survivor who wanted to help fellow stroke survivors. We began with a survey of stroke survivors, community members and service providers in Ōpōtiki and surrounding areas, investigating community knowledge of stroke, barriers and facilitators to recovery, and the availability and appropriateness of health services for stroke survivors in the area. The ultimate aim was to facilitate Māori stroke survivors and whānau (family) to support recent stroke survivors, and find funding to allow sustainable employment of stroke survivors in this capacity. Survey results depicted an isolated community with very poor knowledge of stroke and little access to stroke services. However, they also revealed a community that is determined to look after their own, improve outcomes, and has the support of local health and social service providers. Community-based discussions on the survey results resulted in a vision for He Whare Oranga Tonutanga – a place where Māori stroke survivors and whānau could come to contribute what they can and take what they need. Māori stroke survivors could be employed to provide mentoring and run the centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth-led peer-support initiatives appear well placed to dismantle conventional binaries of youth-adult, as they hold promise as models able to perceive youth outside the role of service recipients. Drawing on ethnographic research at an Australian youth program that included interviews with young people, young and adult volunteers, and staff, this paper investigates the role young people play in determining, creating, and applying change processes for their peers. Through the mechanisms of "cultivating relatability," "establishing a culture of support," and "role-modeling alternative pathways," new possibilities and hope were created. At the core of peer-support efforts was an attempt to increase social integration and a commitment to notions of equality and respect as well as the eradication of unequal power relations between adults and young people. The dual phenomenon of being both the recipient of peer support and facilitators of change processes for others has novel implications for youth programs that work with young people to enhance processes of empowerment and agency and promote positive youth outcomes. Such an approach to working with young people as engaged partners, which gives them a voice and, in particular, asserts the rights of young people to be involved in transforming and recreating their situations, creates opportunities that may both extend the reach and deepen the impact of youth services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of online practice development discussions were held during the Covid-19 pandemic by the Art Therapy and Learning Disability Professional Support Group of the British Association of Art Therapists (formerly known as the Special Interest Group). (1) To capture the experiences of art therapists living through and working with this population during the global pandemic; (2) To describe the barriers and facilitators for online art therapy with people with a learning disability. An anonymised, hand-written record was made during six 60-minute Zoom sessions. The data was transferred to an Excel database. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. The resultant themes and thematic map are shared in this paper. The themes are: (A) The pandemic as leveller. (B) The joy and jeopardy of working online. (C) Art after the eclipse. (D) The function of the professional support group. (E) Insight and understanding to meet client diversity. Stimulated by the national restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, art therapy practice changed at an unprecedented pace. Online art therapy for people with a learning disability may provide a viable alternative to face-to-face art therapy. The BAAT Professional Support Group provides an important peer-network for art therapists and could become a practice-based research hub. Further research is needed to develop best-practice online art therapy; this must include experts by experience as co-researchers. Additional training will be needed for art therapists to practice safely and confidently online. In 2020, the coronavirus made many people across the world sick, some people died. In the UK, our government asked us to stay at home to help to stop the virus spreading. Lots of things changed very suddenly – activities, hobbies and therapy were stopped. This meant that people with a learning disability were not able to keep coming to their art therapy sessions. Art therapists across the UK met on the internet, using a video-chat, to talk about what changes they had made in their clinical practice, whether they were able to keep therapy going during the pandemic and how they felt about the changes. We wanted to understand: (1) Art therapists' experiences during the pandemic. (2) What's helped and what's gotten in the way when art therapists have worked online with people with a learning disability. This piece of research uses a qualitative research procedure called 'thematic analysis' to make sense of different people's views. Thematic analysis is a systematic way of organising and interpreting large volumes of information, called 'data'. In this research, the data is people's words, which were written down live during the six video-chat meetings. Using thematic analysis helps us to find patterns in the data where people have a similar or different view. These patterns are called: 'themes'. The themes gave us a concise record of a broad range of people's views. We found five key themes: (A) The pandemic as leveller. (B) The joy and jeopardy of working online. (C) Art after the eclipse. (D) The function of the professional support group. (E) Insight and understanding to meet client diversity. Online art therapy might help some people with a learning disability, but we need more research and training. Art therapists value peer-support. Our peer-support group could help to develop more robust research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence‐based psychological treatments for trichotillomania (TTM) can be effective; however, relapse is common and consumers have indicated poor satisfaction with treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify participants' perspectives of critical factors associated with short‐ and long‐term recovery following their brief, intensive peer‐support retreat for TTM. A mixed methods longitudinal design was used to evaluate a 3‐day residential peer‐support retreat attended by eight women who self‐referred into the retreat. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted at post‐retreat (n = 6) and 12‐month follow‐up (n = 5). Self‐report measures of symptom severity, mood and quality of life were completed at baseline (n = 7), post‐retreat (n = 6), 6‐month follow‐up (n = 5) and 12‐month follow‐up (n = 5). An inductive thematic analysis was performed to identify themes within the interview transcripts. Quantitative outcome data was used to confirm, challenge, provide context for, and link qualitative findings within the broader literature. Quantitative outcome data demonstrated reduced TTM severity from baseline to post‐retreat. By 6‐month follow‐up, symptoms had relapsed to baseline levels. Participants' perspectives of factors associated with recovery immediately after the retreat included group‐based processes (e.g., sharing, normalisation, safety, and enhanced motivation/accountability) and individual processes (e.g., readiness for change, self‐regulation skills). The qualitative and quantitative data conveyed similar outcomes at both post‐retreat and 12‐month follow‐up. Brief, immersive peer‐support retreats for TTM may facilitate equivalent symptom reductions as longer, therapist‐delivered cognitive behavioural treatments for some individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of peer support groups for low-income older adults' caregivers in the Hong Kong community. It compares the effectiveness of peer support groups on spouse and adult children caregivers. The peer support program was structured into three stages, including six training sessions for peer specialists, eight caregiver support group sessions, and non-structured informal contact. The study adopted a quasi-experiment design supplemented with qualitative data collected from focused group interviews. It involved a user group of 58 participants and a control group of 42 participants. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected before, after the peer support groups, and at a three-month follow-up. The quantitative results showed that the peer support program was more effective in promoting social support for adult children caregivers but not for spousal caregivers. Three focus group interviews suggested that the community-based peer-support group could be helpful to improve stress management, emotional regulation skills, and social networks of the caregivers. Based on the research findings, we discuss the various needs of spousal and adult children caregivers, provide recommendations for service providers and practitioners to consider homogenous group services to address the diverse needs of spousal and adult children caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how educational psychologists working in a training/consultative way can enable teachers to manage challenging pupil behaviour more effectively. It sets out a rationale which encourages schools to embrace a group based teacher peer-support system as part of regular school development. It then explores the usefulness of the Staff Sharing Scheme as an exemplar of such an approach from the perspective of school based participants. Through a case-study approach, the current findings suggest that group based peer-support programmes help teachers reflect on the causes of disruptive behaviour holistically and subsequently to problem solve in a more coherent manner. This leads to changes in teacher behaviour within the classroom. Issues of time and trust were identified as important obstacles to the potential development of such a scheme within the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]