BHT Sussex is a member of Pathfinder West Sussex – an alliance of organisations working together to enable people with mental health support needs, as well as their carers, to improve their mental health and wellbeing. As part of this offering, Pathfinder has many volunteer peer mentors.
Peer Mentors use their lived experiences of mental health challenges to create a supportive environment where their clients can discuss their needs, as well as work towards achieving their goals and aspirations.
This is the how one of our peer mentors, Lindsay, became a volunteer at Pathfinder.
“I ended up in hospital due to my declining mental health. When I was discharged, I was given support by a Community Psychiatry Nurse. I next accessed support through Pathfinder, firstly by seeing a Clinician, and later a Peer Mentor, who helped me find strategies to deal with my anxiety.
“I was inspired by my Peer Mentor and decided to train as one myself, as I wanted to help others. I became a Community Champion and have since had my first client. I find that it has really increased my confidence and given me a purpose. I now really believe I can help people.
“Being a Community Champion has really improved my mental health and reduced my anxiety and depression. I tell people that the anxiety does go. It’s not with you all the time. I look forward to having my next client.”
