Are You Thinking of Peer Work? Have your questions answered here!

[tyme]

Hey @HelloKitty1981 ,

Great to hear from you.

With peer support, you are the expert. It's your life, your experiences and hence you are the expert.

Your experiences are invaluable.

[MJG017]

@tyme 

Im just about to go to sleep..  well in a bed rather than more here on the couch.... its been a long, long day.  So just wanted to post an update before dragging myself off to bed.

I did my LLN test today and interview.  The interview was more about why I was interested in doing it and did I have supports in place.  The test was easier than I expected.  They did say if you get more than 1 answer wrong, you have to do the bigger, longer, harder one..  so not to get overconfident and rush.  So I'm now enrolled, have access to the student portal and ready to go!  Yay!  

[tyme]

Woohoo! @MJG017 

Congrats! And remember, we can start up a study group if you want. We can bounce ideas off each other.

[MJG017]

---

@tyme wrote:

Congrats! And remember, we can start up a study group if you want. We can bounce ideas off each other.

---

Thanks @tyme, it feels a bit different now that it's official.  Now we just need to get my study partner @Oaktree into her course.  I'll definitely start a study group, hopefully there's a few people here who find it helpful as well.

[Oaktree]

@MJG017 

Oh my gosh congratulations! Don’t know how I missed this announcement!!!

I hope my LLN is easy. I got a high score in my stat test but that was years ago! Hopefully I will get a place too…

[MJG017]

---

@Oaktree wrote:

Oh my gosh congratulations! Don’t know how I missed this announcement!!!

I hope my LLN is easy. I got a high score in my stat test but that was years ago! Hopefully I will get a place too…

---

@Oaktree @tyme 

I just wish it was as simple for you to get into the course as it seems to be here in SA.  $500 with a concession is a pretty good price.  The other bonus is that I was told yesterday that you only have to pay for each module as you start it.  So as each module begins, you get charged and have 2 weeks to pay... so basically you pay the $500 over the 12 months.  Well, I guess it's a bit shorter time than that because the 12 months would include the 80 hrs work placement(?).  Although she did talk about having simulated workplaces.  I'm not 100% sure whether she meant for the assessments or the work placements or both.

Anyway... hopefully, and all fingers crossed, there's some more good news come November.

[Oaktree]

@tyme 

Do you think that I am too sensitive for peer work? I need to learn to put a buffer between my feelings and others

[tyme]

Hey @Oaktree ,

From my own experience, if you say 'sensitive', you probably wouldn't know 'sensitive' until you met the past me. If anything, I was 'HYPER HYPER Sensitive'

If you looked at me, it could set me off. If you didn't look at me, it would set me off. If you walked a tad too fast, it would set me off. If you walked a tad too slow, it would trigger me. 

Is sensitivity a 'bad' thing? No.

Being sensitive can allow you to be attuned to others' feelings and needs. It allows us to show compassion and strong intuition and therefore you'll be more able to walk alongside others on their journey.

This is key to peer work. 

As you grow and learn (and have a few stumbles along the way), we get stronger in setting boundaries to protect ourselves. 

I don't know if I've mentioned this in this thread, but with ALL frontline work, there WILL be conflict. There will be people who do not understand you. People who will file complaints. People who will cause you to challenge your values and beliefs...

It's happened to the best of us. No one is immune.

And this is why supports are in place to support all peer workers. Organisations have protocols in place to protect their staff (well, they should have). For example, in front line MH work, we have 'supervision' with an external person (outside the organisation). This allows us to reflect on our own practices, bounce ideas off each other, share our thinking and current practices... in other words, learn and grow. We have both individual sessions and group sessions (with other peer workers). 

Not only that, we also have this space to bounce ideas off each other. It doesn't mean we agree with everything, but it's a chance to get things out there.

@Oaktree @MJG017 @RubyJones @Ainjoule @Shaz51 

[MJG017]

@Oaktree  The interview I had before my test was mostly to talk to me about what supports I had in place and letting me know the extra supports that would be available to me if I did the course.  They do seem to go out of their way to make sure every student is supported very well throughout.

I think a lot of us do have some trouble with feeling like we feel a bit too much of another persons pain when supporting them   This is why you will be so good at it.  You just need to be mindful to look after yourself at the same time, and that does sppear to be something the course helps us with a lot.

[tyme]

That's really good to know @MJG017