Rehab Rounds : Combining Telephone Peer Counseling and Professional Services for Clients in Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Introduction by the column editors: Although an increasing number of mental health agencies employ consumers in the roles of advocates, liaisons, outreach workers, case management aides, and other paraprofessionals (1,2,3,4), the evidence is mixed on the success of these efforts (5,6). The evidence that does exist is anecdotal, and development in this area is still in its infancy.Some authors (7,8), including the authors of a previous Rehab Rounds column (9), have reported on the obstacles and role conflicts that consumers encounter while working as paraprofessionals. The agencies in which they work often fail to provide orientation to the work environment, sufficient training in the skills needed to perform the job, and ongoing support and supervision. Perhaps the most important source of role confusion is lack of empowerment, defined by low or limited value placed by professionals and agency administrators on the knowledge, skills, and the opinions of these so-called "prosumers"—those who both provide and consume mental health services.In this month's column, Amy Lane describes her experiences coordinating a telephone peer counseling service for clients enrolled in an outpatient psychiatric rehabilitation program. She explains how barriers to the success of the telephone counseling were overcome by soliciting and incorporating the input of clients at all phases of the project, including planning, development, training, implementation, and ongoing monitoring. Furthermore, her report serves as a reminder of the "win-win" situation that results from effective collaboration between clients (both as colleagues and consumers) and mental health professionals.