Beginning Therapy and/or Peer Support

Peer support and therapy are two big steps that someone can take towards their recovery. As we’ll talk about in a minute, there are some big differences between the two, but both can bring about some trepidation. So, we thought we’d talk today about what the differences are between the two and how to get the most out of starting a peer recovery relationship or therapy.

First, let’s talk about what they are and what they aren’t. While both involve talking, therapy is more clinical. It will be focused more on diagnosis and different treatment modalities. It might dig into things that you haven’t processed yet that are holding you back from recovery. Peer support specialists aren’t trained to help you process, but offer a powerful step forward by sharing their experience in recovery. There is more self-disclosure and less focus on diagnosis. Think of therapy as a GPS, telling you where to go and peer support as a guide who has been down that road before.

However, both involve discussing mental health struggles that you might be facing. They may involve things that you tend to want to hide. As such, discussing these issues, whether with a therapist or a peer specialist, can seem overwhelming. It can be nerve-wracking, and from experience I can tell you that it can be truly uncomfortable. Both experiences are likely to push you out of your comfort zone, but both a therapist and a peer specialist will be trained to help you through that experience in a safe, non-judgmental way.

And while opening up is important, always know that recovery is at your pace. You should never feel forced by a therapist or a peer specialist to share anything that you don’t feel comfortable discussing yet. When you start down either path, you retain all the power.

And as we said, we’ve been there. We know how hard it can be. The LegalMind Society’s peer support programs seek to offer safe, non-judgmental spaces because we know how difficult starting down this path can be. And so when you are ready to start sharing, know that we are here to help.