The role of peer workers and mentors in improving outcomes for young people with sub-acute and severe mental health problems

Primary Supervisor: Dr Elizabeth Conroy (opens in a new window)

Parramatta Mission delivers a network of services for young people with mental health problems across Nepean-Blue Mountains, Western Sydney and Northern Sydney. The services operate within a stepped-care and assertive outreach framework with the objective of engaging and supporting young people in their own environments. A novel feature of these services is the inclusion of peer workers and mentors to support recovery in young people. For example, peer workers have an integral role in the assessment process with young people including goal setting. Observations from the professional staff are that peer workers instil hope in young people in a way that professional staff cannot. This project is interested in understanding the role that peer workers and mentors play in the recovery of young people with sub-acute and severe mental health problems, and the potential importance of hope in the recovery journey. This project lends itself to qualitative methodology, as a way of exploring the meaning and subjective experiences of hope and recovery for young people involved in the mental health system. In particular, the project team is interested in exploring the use of photovoice, an arts-based, participatory research method to involve both the peer workers, mentors and the young people in critiquing and informing service design and delivery.

This project is suitable for someone from a health-related discipline with a background in mental health and who has an interest in developing skills in qualitative methodology.