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Eval11 Session 471: Evaluating the Role of the Peer Specialist in the Massachusetts Mental Health System 

10-27-2011 10:58

A growing trend nationally in mental health systems is for individuals with mental illness and experience with mental health services to work as Peer Specialists. Training programs have been established to develop this new workforce. A recently completed evaluation assessed factors that both help and hinder Peer Specialists in applying their learning from the Massachusetts training program. We sought feedback from peer specialists, supervisors of peer specialists, as well as people who receive peer specialist services. Interviews and focus groups were conducted separately with all stakeholder groups to better understand their experiences in supervising this new role, receiving this new service or being employed as a peer specialist. This study helped to inform the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health about the importance of having clear job duties for peer specialists as well as the value placed on this service by those working with peer specialists.

#mentalhealth #PeerSpecialist #QualitativeMethods #2011Conference #Alcohol,DrugAbuse,andMentalHealth

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01-21-2012 15:14

Linda Cabral and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical School presented at our 2010 conference and offered their materials in our eLibrary. Interested in learning about a mixed methods evaluation of the Massachusetts Peer Specialist Training or Massachusetts Health Care Reform? See the links (pasted below).