THE GOOD PLACE
A Friend in Need
Peer Connections Manitoba matches up clients with like-minded supporters to achieve a common goal: mental wellness for all.
By Kate Rae
(Top) Former clients Monique Levesque-Pharoah and Don Pharoah advertise for Peer Connections with pride at a Winnipeg Blue Bombers game. (Above) From left to right, board president Stephanie Loewen and executive director Julia Hoeppner pose with Chester Pangan from Winnipeg’s multilingual radio station, 92.7 CKJS FM. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF PEER CONNECTIONS MANITOBA
A SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER recently told Monique Levesque-Pharoah that staffers love it when clients “fire” them. “That happens when someone they’ve been working with says, ‘I’ve got all the tools in my toolbox now. I know which resources to go to. I know what my triggers or activators are. I know the pitfalls,’ ” says the director of Peer Connections Manitoba (PCM).
Peer Connections Manitoba is reimagining mental health initiatives.
According to Levesque-Pharoah, that’s because no matter where you are in the spectrum of mental health, peer support has been shown to have a positive impact. “Someone walking alongside you takes away the stigma, bridges the gap of understanding and makes you feel supported in ways that psychiatrists and psychologists can’t.” PCM’s peer supporters all have lived experience with mental health struggles and — after two weeks of intensive training — provide free and confidential virtual, phone and in-person support.
“We want people seeking support to see themselves and hear themselves and have shared experience.”
Explore a wide range of support systems.
The organization aims to come up with ideal matches. “We want people seeking support to see themselves, hear themselves and have shared experience,” says Levesque-Pharoah. “We try to have as much diversity as possible. The goal is to have a diverse cross-section of gender and ethnic backgrounds and experiences.”
Also on offer — drop-in support, groups to help in a wide range of issues, including grief and loss, as well as family support. “A lot of people mistakenly think that family peer support is showing a family how to support a person. It isn’t. It’s about how do you support yourself,” explains Levesque-Pharoah, in a nod to the negative impact of caregiver stress.
The job of a peer supporter.
All the peer supporters are also offered ongoing support, she adds, as they too may be navigating their own mental health journey. “Your own bucket needs to be filled before you start pouring into other people’s buckets. But it’s so cool how some of the peer supporters say it’s an honour to hold that space with people.”
The main job of peer supporters is not to replace psychiatrists and psychologists. It’s to listen, says Levesque-Pharoah. “They are not there to fix or solve. They’re there to empathize. They’re there so people understand they’re not alone.” CAA
Visit peerconnectionsmb.ca to get involved, donate or become a support staff member.
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