Peer Services
What are Peers?
Peers are people who have lived with severe & persistent mental illness and have gone on to reach goals for improving their mental health in spite of the challenges they face.
Life for people with severe mental illness often involves difficulties working, meeting basic needs, achieving personal success, and sometimes functioning altogether. Moreover, they endure this on top of navigating the healthcare system and painstakingly seek the treatment regimen that will hopefully one day make life easier for them.
Making improvements to severe mental illness is not only admirable but inspiring to those who have yet to find success. Combined with high quality training, our Peers use their personal experience to help others like themselves to provide the following support services:
- Helping participants identify the areas of their mental health they want to improve
- Assist with developing goals and objectives for making the improvements
- Locating resources and services that fit their needs & lifestyle to meet those goals
- Provide invaluable motivational support when times are especially trying
Who is eligible?
Adult residents in Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties in Michigan who are in recovery from severe mental illness or a co-occurring disorder (mental illness combined with substance use disorder) can utilize our Peer Support services. Services are free for most people and when they are not free, they are no more than $10/session.
Our staff and volunteers can provide services in person at non-residential locations or virtually. There is not a required number of sessions and our services are always voluntary, never mandated by another party. And, like all other mental health services, are confidential.
Why The Nest?
We look for staff and volunteers who not only have a history of overcoming health challenges, but are driven to make mental health recovery possible for others.
Our Peers receive training to provide services that are evidence-based as well as informed of barriers and inequities that impact people due to
- Trauma
- Limited income
- Housing status
- Culture
- Race
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
Our Peers do not prioritize one recovery pathway over another. Our organization recognizes that long term, sustainable recovery happens when people are given choice and the autonomy to pave their own unique pathway.
We also offer a free weekly Peer Support group that is held virtually on Fridays at 7:30 pm EST.
If you or someone you know is interested in signing up for Peer Support services through The Nest, send an email to operations@lansingnest.org, call us at 517-614-8986, or send us a Facebook message by following the link below.
We also have Community Health Worker services for people who find recovering from mental illness especially challenging due to compounding health and social issues.