Presenter: Joanne Forbes Ph.D., Consultant, Author, Founding Board Member Baltic Street Wellness Solutions, Inc


Experience and research suggest that integrating peer support workers (PSW) into behavioral health care systems can encounter barriers and challenges. The literature suggests that supervision and training are appropriate remedies for many of these. However, supervision in the context of behavioral health services is most commonly practiced as clinical supervision. Research into the experiences of PSWs supervised by non-peer supervisors discovered intriguing answers to the questions swirling around peer supervision; this discussion will share these findings. This session highlights common issues with clinical supervision and practical ways for supervisors to offer peer-informed supervision that is more in alignment with the expressed needs of PSWs.