What is Peer Support?

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The term “peer support” comes out of a grassroots movement and refers to groups of individuals

coming together to share a common experience and/or concern.

 

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Each peer/social group forms and changes according to its attendees needs.

 

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"Peer support is a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful. Peer support is not based on psychiatric models and diagnostic criteria. It is about understanding another’s situation empathically through

the shared experience of emotional and psychological pain." - Shery Mead, 2003

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Why Peer Support could help?

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It is reassuring to meet others who are experienced narcissistic abuse, to know you are not the only one.​

 

When everyone is in “the same boat” it is easier to feel trusting, accepted and understood; the support is relaxed and mutual.​

 

There is an opportunity to give as well as receive support, which can make you feel better about yourself.

 

It is encouraging to hear about different strategies/resources that have worked for other people all on different stages of recovery and to have the support of fellow peers to try them out yourself.​

 

It can be easier to socialise in a supportive environment, and being part of the peer network means there can be people within reach that you can contact.​

 

There isn't any pressure; it is ok to participate in whatever way you are able, knowing it is very likely those others will understand any difficulties.

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The group can help different people in different ways.

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You might:

 

(Feel less isolated and make friends)

 

(Begin to feel ‘normal’ again)

 

(Try out new ways of coping with your experiences)

 

(Explore different ways of making sense of them)

 

(Share what’s going on in your life)

 

(Feel like you can be yourself with people you trust)

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(Have fun)

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What Peer Support is not:

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Peer support is not an alternative to a support group, group therapy, nor a substitute for personal counselling or emergency services. However whilst our peer/social groups are peer led they also often act as a gateway to other support services within The Echo Society.  

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Who facilitates the peer/social groups:

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All facilitators of The Echo Society have a "lived experience" of narcissistic abuse and are extensively trained in various areas such as peer support, mental wellbeing, group facilitation, counselling, narcissistic victim syndrome (NVS) and participate in regular ongoing continuous personal development in areas of narcissistic abuse/narcissism.

 

All Echo Society support services consist of regular peer2peer facilitator/volunteer meetings and supervision to provide the best support for you and its facilitators and have completed The Echo Society's - intensive Working with narcissistic abuse, a psycho-educational approach towards recovery - 3 month recovery Program. All facilitators/volunteers hold an enhanced DBS check (formerly CRB) .

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Peer support and self help:

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Peer support is based on the idea that, often, the best people to help us through difficult times are those that have been there too. It’s about getting together in a peer/social and activity group, sharing experiences and finding ways of coping with them. It’s not about there being an expert standing up at the front, telling you what to do. We all have our own expertise and we all have something to offer – even if we don’t always realise this.

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