As part of the lived experience workforce at SWLSTG, and as an accredited resilience-based peer support worker, I view my peer support relationships as partnerships that invite and inspire both parties to learn and grow.
The following poem is a testimonial by Jo Lambert
Lived experience.
I found support
A kind and gifted person
The treatment boundaries
By two-way trust
And self-respect
She pointed out
A path to my recovery
And gently nudged me
As I went along it
I learnt more
Than I could possibly expect
I found my true authentic self
My worth, my voice
I’ve unlocked my creativity
As you will see
And I wonder
If the peer support and skills she taught me
Might have been a little bit enriching
And affirming
For her as well as me
Or perhaps she’s just a consummate professional
Who’s good at teaching mindfulness and CBT
Either way I’m lucky that I found her
In my search for help towards recovery
Jo Lambert 2022
This partnership with Jo provided a powerful framework for us to build mutual support from which THE MENTAL HEALTH RECOGNITION PROJECT emerged, inspired by Jo’s poems and collaborating with various artists in May 2022 with some funding we produced resource books, STAY and ALLIANCE, these quickly sold out with proceeds going to Kingston Carers Network and award-winning charity Suicide Crisis. They are now being used in therapeutic settings inside and outside of the NHS.
Bringing my unique mixture of skills and creativity to my peer support work enables me to offer a systematic recovery approach to the problem of stress and anxiety experienced by mental health carers. Helping clients gain a deeper understanding of the impact their caring role has on their own health and well-being, working alongside individuals during this recovery process helps them to connect with their lived experience from which often emerges a new sense of belonging and purpose.
