People naturally support each other when one or more of them goes through emotional distress. Intentional peer support capitalizes on this natural phenomenon and tries to augment it and make it more productive.

Peer support is not like clinical support and it is more than just being friends. In peer support we understand each other because we have “been there” ourselves, shared similar circumstances and experiences. We can build, together, a willingness to learn and grow.

We come together with the intention of changing unhelpful patterns, getting out of the places in which we are ‘stuck’ and building relationships that are respectful, mutually responsible, and potentially mutually transforming. Instead of taking care of each other and thinking of each other as ‘sick’, in peer support we build a sense of family and community that is mutually responsible and focused on recovery and social action.

- Shery Mead, 2007 - Founder of Intentional Peer Support.

Our Mission

• Provide mutual support and care.
• Form relationships that enable us to learn and grow together.
• Help one another to access agencies for information and facilities.
• Reduce our isolation by social interactions amongst ourselves and the community.
• Learn to challenge our existing beliefs to help us move forward.
• Encourage education and training.

Peer groups are designed to be safe environments where people can have open and frank discussions about difficulties in life without fear of being judged. Sometimes it can be difficult for a variety of reasons to speak to friends and family about our problems as they often don't have first-hand experience of your personal journey. In some cases people may not want to worry friends or family or you may not have people you feel close to making sharing your feelings difficult.

Peer groups or peer relationships are also about overcoming the challenges you feel and hopefully with these new friends can be involved in new social activities that can be fun.

Peer support is a relationship in which one person helps another help themselves and has been proven to help people grow and develop that sense of ‘Yes I can do this!’ We do this by encouraging people to tell their story.

These groups can manifest in any number of ways; Whether it’s just three people getting together for a coffee once a week, a fishing, walking, art, educational etc. group they can prove very cathartic and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded people. Peer groups are essentially, whatever you want them to be. Whether you’re looking to join an existing group, are interested in setting up your own group, or already are part of a group and are looking to network, you may find the following workshops, information below helpful.

We would love to hear from you!

I’d like to find out more about WATCH Peer Support Training

WATCH CIC run high quality, informal, friendly and fun Peer Support Facilitated Workshops and Peer Support Training across Somerset.

Peer Support Facilitated Workshops will benefit if you are:

• Wanting to access and self-refer onto this workshop.
• Looking to increase positivity and your mental health well-being through friendships and mutual support.
• Wanting to find out more about community well being activities or being a volunteer at a peer group in your area.

Peer Support Training will benefit if you are:

• An organisation that would like your staff and/or volunteers to learn about peer support. Either to use internally to support one another or to use the knowledge to pass onto people you work with.
• We will do this together through exploring, what Peer Support is and how it may be able to help you and others and what makes a good peer support member.