Do your peers facilitate groups? Alone or with a professional?

At WORLD, weekly support groups are facilitated by the peers alone. The peers are responsible for arranging speakers. However the peers receive some guidance from a clinical supervisor. Peers become qualified for this position by shadowing other peer facilitators as well as through trainings in the community.

At Harlem Hospital, groups are always co-facilitated by a peer and a professional, such as a health educator or social worker. Peers often facilitate mental health groups while under close supervision. New peer facilitators are able to shadow a health educator or social worker facilitating a group.

Having a peer in a leadership role in a support group demonstrates a clear understanding that the life experience of peers and their deep understanding of group members’ struggles will have a positive impact on the overall outcomes of the group. However, group facilitation requires skills that not all peers may have and may require additional training.

More information:

• Read More: Peers and Support Groups (PDF), in the Peer Roles and Responsibilities section of the Building Blocks to Peer Program Success toolkit for developing HIV peer programs
• 15 steps to starting an HIV support group (The Lotus Project)(PDF), one of the toolkit’s Program Resources
• Peer guide to HIV education and support groups (Kansas City Free Health Clinic)(PDF), one of the toolkit’s Program Resources
• HCSP Support Group Manual , a resource created by HCSP/HCV Advocate to help start support groups for people with Hepatitis C Virus.

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