What is Peer Support?
Peer Support is a free service for adults based in West Essex (Uttlesford, Epping Forest and Harlow). Every service user that joins the service will work with a dedicated Peer Support Worker who can draw on their own lived experience of mental health challenges which may be similar to what you are experiencing.
This could include a lack of motivation, low mood, depression, stress, anxiety, excessive worry, trauma or other emotional challenges. We use a personalised approach to focus on your own individual needs, what is important to you and what you would like support with.
Through drawing on their own lived experience, our peer support workers can support you with:
- Inspiring hope and showing that recovery is possible
- Actively listening and sitting alongside you.
- Providing a safe and non-judgemental space for you to share your thoughts , feelings and experiences with someone who may have been through something similar.
- Supporting you in improving your daily routine, activities, motivation, self-belief and general well being.
- Helping to empower you to gain a sense of control over your own recovery journey, identify your own coping strategies, recognise your personal strengths and set goals to help you move forwards.
- Helping you to connect and get involved with other groups, organisations or activities in your local community.
- Supporting you in accessing practical and financial support.
Knowing someone else has been where you are and has come out of it the other side is amazing to hear.
How does peer support work?
Upon acceptance of a referral, you will be allocated a peer support worker who will then conduct a triage call to obtain some further details. Following this, you will then be offered up to nine, one-to-one support sessions with a dedicated peer support worker. These sessions will be carried out in the community at a location decided between you and the Peer Support Worker. There is also an option for the delivery of telephone support sessions upon request. It is a requirement of the service that you are willing to engage on an appointment basis.
To learn more about how peer support is different from other kinds of help, you can read an article by The Tad Project https://thetadproject.org/explore/articles/peer-vs-clinical-support.
Groups
Our community groups are aimed at providing a safe space where you can share your feelings and experiences. The groups are run by a volunteers with lived experience of mental health challenges themselves.Â
Please see the link to our groups where you can sign up to attend. The group is also entirely free.
Community activity groups:
- Find out more about out community activity groups by clicking the link below:
How to refer?
If you want to refer yourself or someone else to our Peer Support Service, please email us at peersupport@mindinwestessex.org.uk or use the following form:

Training Academy
Our Training Academy website offers a number of interactive courses to help you learn how to manage your mental health and provide support for others.

Side by Side
Side by Side is a supportive online community where you can be yourself. We all know what it's like to struggle sometimes, but now there's a safe place to listen.
Connect with people who experience struggles at times
Counselling
Our highly qualified therapists have a range of specialities and approaches as we know it is not one size fits all.