Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Peer Support For Youth And Young Adults Who Experience Serious Mental Health Conditions: State Of The Science, Janet S. Walker, Caitlin Baird, Mary Beth Welch

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Peer support for youth and young adults who experience serious mental health conditions (SMHCs) is rapidly growing in popularity as an addition to the mental health service array in communities around the United States. Research focusing on various aspects of the youth/young adult peer support role has been accruing in recent years; however, many questions remain regarding how the role is defined and supported, and what sort of outcomes can and should be expected once peer support is implemented as a service. This brief reviews the research literature that bears on these topics, describes how current work at Pathways RTC …