Peer specialist services: New frontiers and new roles

Abstract

This special section of Psychological Services is devoted to the most recent work on services provided by peer specialists. As individuals who have overcome obstacles in life and who are trained to provide services to others with similar life challenges, peer specialists promote recovery, foster resilience, and build on patients' strengths to support community integration and help them lead more fulfilling lives. Expanding beyond the basic peer specialist model, this special section showcases innovative programs that more fully utilize peer specialists such as partnering with them in treatment engagement as well as successfully moving into new arenas such as suicide prevention. This special section speaks to both the increasing range of work peer specialists are engaging in and how their roles are growing in complexity. It also explores the impact this discipline is having on systems of care and provides research on approaches to optimize their implementation.