Medvirkning og samskaping med erfaringskonsulenter i psykisk helse- og rustjenester

Abstract

People with lived experience of mental health or substance use challenges are increasingly employed as peer workers in mental health and substance use services. The authorities essentially initiate peer workers’ entry in Norway, described as a means of ensuring service user participation and bringing a service user perspective into service development. Collaborative practices are a wellestablished principle in these services. Peer workers engage in various interactive practices to support existing service users and bring benefits to services, and contemporary service delivery is prioritized.

This chapter discusses some relevant conditions and structures that affect peer workers’ ability to realize their potential in contributing to individual and system change. Peer workers’ participation leads to creating new relationships and collaborative practices in the services. This shift can be understood as social innovation as it is concerned with meeting social needs in new ways and attuned to the process towards it, which is collaborative practice. Peer workers in new collaborative practices may or may not improve the service’s capability to tackle social problems. Many factors will affect whether peer workers influence how these services are performed and developed in the future. Peer workers’ practice and participation will require support from the professionals in the services, strategic leaders, and authorities if their participation is to change the service they are meant to influence.