— LGBTIQ+ and the Lived Experience Workforce
Summary
Examining the experiences of people who help others during a mental health crisis. Drawing on data from 25 interviews and a survey of more than 300 people, this report focuses specifically on how LGBTQ people who provide peer support are impacted by doing so. Lean on Me demonstrates that burnout is a common negative impact of suicide prevention and mental health-related peer support in an LGBTQ context.
This report explores the genesis of such burnout, considering how and why the need for peer support is so great within LGBTQ communities in Melbourne. ‘Peer support’ has various meanings, including in the context of mental health services. We use the term to refer broadly to informal mental health support that LGBTQ people provide peers outside service settings.
Summary
The importance of peer leadership in LGBTIQA+ mental health was a recurring theme for speakers at Mind Australia’s inaugural ‘Respect in action’ webinar. Launched on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), the three-part webinar series is designed to foster conversations and provide an opportunity to learn more about the mental health needs of people from all backgrounds, ages and abilities.
The first webinar in the series looked at the ways in which LGBTIQA+ peer workers inform specialist care. The conversation featured Manu Kailom, Peer Support and Community Development Officer with LGBTIQ+ capacity building organisation Many Coloured Sky, and Alex Cuffe and Maya Kjellstrand, Mind Australia Peer Practitioners with the unique Aftercare LGBTIQ+ suicide prevention program
Summary
In this review, different types of peer support operating for LGBTQ+ people were found:
- Naturally occurring peer support within LGBTQ+ communities
- Peer run groups and networks
- Professionally run peer support, based on either shared experience of LGBTQ+ identity, of mental health problems, or of both.
Professionally run peer support was found to be effective in preventing mental ill health, in that it helps to combat isolation, boosts self-esteem and confidence, and provides spaces for people to share and normalise their experiences. Additionally, these interventions have been shown to reduce the likelihood of risk-taking behaviours and combat mental health stigma within the LGBTQ+ community. Formalising peer support contributes to improving standards of professionalism within the LGBTQ+ VCS workforce, and helps to address challenges posed by intersecting minority identities by bridging gaps within LGBTQ+ communities.