In September, I had the opportunity to attend an international Conference on Social Prescription in Toronto. In a subsequent BLOG, I shared some of my reflections from that Conference related to different models of Social Prescription programs and organizations. These programs and organizations provide, amongst other services, activities and events that are an opportunity for marginalised individuals to break out of their social isolation and engage with others.
In today’s BLOG, I broaden this conversation with a discussion of one specific approach to social prescription – what are known as “peer support” programs and techniques. Peer support is an approach whereby individuals with shared experiences offer support to each other, and create an environment where people can feel safe, understood and accepted.
At the Conference, I learned that the application of Peer Support methods is not limited to mental health maintenance and recovery. It can be applied with a wide range of clients to address many different issues. It is often an integral component of a Social Prescription approach to health and well-being.
Taking Stock: Peer Support services already available in Halifax
The Conference prompted me to consider the various types of peer support that are already available in Halifax and those that could be introduced for the benefit for the community of people for whom I advocate. With regards to my community, peer support programs are locally available through two not-for-profit social service organizations: Self Help Connection and Healthy Minds Cooperative. To the best of my knowledge, the services offered by these agencies focus upon issues of mental health maintenance and recovery.
In conversation with others, I have learned that peer support approaches are widely used in different sectors and agencies and with different client groups. For example, one person who is the Chair of a volunteer organization of which I happen to a member, pointed out that there is a parent resource center in Dartmouth that offers a peer support program for those who are considering - or about - to become new parents. For this reason, they suggested that a Peer Support program would not be a unique contribution of a new Social Prescription program or organization. But it could be a useful addition in Halifax.
My conversations prompted the following three questions:
1. If other types of peer support are available in Halifax besides those related to mental health, to what extent are these services promoted to the general public?
2. With regards to peer support for those living in poverty or on Income Assistance, do existing programs in Halifax enable clients to make and maintain friendships in the community? I have written about the challenges faced by people in my community to build stable, long-lasting friendship style relationships in earlier articles, here and here.
3. I have sensed skepticism – maybe even resistance - towards the whole Social Prescription approach when I share the basic concept with those not from my Community, but who are financially better off. Why is this? I admit that I struggle to explain all the basic concepts and principles in a short, 2 minute elevator pitch. But I have to wonder if this response is rooted in doubts that people have about the extent of stigma and social isolation experienced by members of our Community, even though I have written extensively on this reality, including articles here, here and here.
The General Concept
In a recent BLOG, I looked at how social anxiety and isolation is often greatest over the Christmas season. Providing people with food or meals they can eat at home, alone over the holidays, is NOT a solution for social isolation. In that BLOG, I suggested that non-professional friendship peer support could be one way to address this issue and help to develop the skills needed to build sustainable friendships. This approach was tested in Halifax under the short-term Mitigating Social Isolation project which was supported by the Dalhousie Social Work Clinic, as I discussed here.
But I believe that the community of people in Halifax who live in poverty and are dependent upon Income Assistance requires a much more substantial investment in peer support programming. This is particularly true as many in my community struggle with relationship issues such as respecting boundaries in friendships, as I have addressed here.
Sometimes these issues are linked to mental health issues, but they may also be due to people’s limited exposure to social situations. For many in my community, their only regular social interaction is with strangers standing in line at Food-Banks and Soup Kitchens. Beyond that, the only other people in their lives may be health care professionals such as doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, and counsellors.
These spaces are not the place for developing social skills or friendships. As I have recounted in earlier BLOGS, the challenges that people in my community face in terms of developing, managing and sustaining friendships (see here and here) can seem overwhelming, and can stumble in the face of relatively minor issues such as a canceled get-together for coffee.
So, what do I propose?
My proposal is to develop a program or organization that will identify local people who do not apply social stigma to those living on income assistance. They will be invited to volunteer as social contacts and perhaps “friends” for counter-parts who live on income assistance.
For their part, the income assistance recipients will be given a contact number through which they can connect with a friend to meet for coffee, go on a walk or to a movie together. At this time of the year, perhaps people could connect to attend a Christmas social.
As I discussed in my 2019 article on friendships mentioned above, it would be important to ensure that this mechanism is not promoted or perceived as either a drinking club or dating network. It would simply be an opportunity for building friendships and breaking social isolation. And I believe that it would make sense to integrate this service into a program or organization that is specifically mandated to promote a Social Prescription approach to health and well-being.
I close this BLOG by noting that I will soon release a BLOG post that makes a business-style pitch for the introduction of a Social Prescription program / organization here in Halifax. Stay Tuned!
Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.
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