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PEER SUPPORT

Shine Lincolnshire work in partnership with Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (LPFT) to deliver Peer Support across the county. 

Beyond this page, further information about Peer Support Worker’s can be found via this link: About Peer Support Workers (LPFT)

What is a Peer Support Worker (PSW)?

Mental Health (MH) PSW’s give support, companionship and encouragement to people experiencing mental health difficulties. A quality that makes them stand out from other staff is that MH PSW’s draw directly on their own lived experiences of mental health difficulties or caring for someone else who is experiencing such difficulties. They do not replace other roles in mental health services; rather, ‘their skill in using their own experience to work collaboratively with someone facing similar mental health difficulties, is a unique one‘ (The Competence Framework for Mental Health Peer Support Workers, NHS Health Education England (October 2020)).

 A PSW can:

      • Take a relational approach; not give advice or direction, but listen and explore.
      • Help people find their own solutions that work for them.
      • Respect individuals’ rights and self-determination.
      • Respect confidentiality.
      • Support with wellness plans.

How do Peer Support Workers receive their referrals?

Our Peer Support Workers are aligned to their local Integrated Place Based Teams (IPBT), through which all referrals come.

The aim of IPBT’s is to improve the care for people experiencing Severe Mental Illness (SMI) by enabling patients to:

    • Access mental health care where and when they need it, and be able to move through the system easily, so that people who need intensive input receive it in the appropriate place, rather than face being discharged to no support.
    • Manage their condition or move towards individualised recovery on their own terms, surrounded by their families, carers and social networks, and supported in their local community.
    • Contribute to, and be participants in, the communities that sustain them, to whatever extent is comfortable to them.

      This approach includes:

    • Promoting health and wellbeing
    • Promoting and basing interventions on recovery principles
    • Empowering self-care and self-management
    • Enabling individuals to live well in their communities
    • Developing relationships with community partners to inform a range of holistic services which are wrapped around the person
    • Person-centred approaches
    • Ensuring carer’s needs are met and care planning collaboratively.

What areas of the county do the Peer Support Workers cover?

We have Peer Support Workers working across the whole of the county, based across 15 Primary Care Networks* (PCNs) in 12 Integrated Place Based Teams.

You can find out more about your local Peer Support Worker on their page from the buttons below.

Further information about Primary Care Networks can be found via this link Primary Care Networks

How are Peer Support Workers managed?

Our Peer Support Workers are employed and managed within Shine by our Senior Peer Support Coordinator, Katy Howitt.

“Hi, I’m Katy and I am the Senior Peer Support Coordinator.  My role involves managing our amazing Peer Support Workers to support them to do the fantastic work they do.  Peer Support workers use their own experiences to walk alongside others and support them on their own mental health and wellbeing journeys. 

“I love my role, to see the difference everyone is making is incredible.

In addition to Katy, every Peer Support Worker receives clinical supervision within their IPBT.

Meet Your Peer Support Workers

Check back later to get to know me!

Hi everyone, I am Sam, I am the Peer Support Worker for Lincoln South which covers the villages just outside of Lincoln.

I want to use my own experiences to be able to support, walk along side, empower, and offer hope to others who are going through their own journey. Although each person’s journey of mental health is different I hope I can offer empathy and connect to parts of their journey having felt them myself. I am looking forward to helping people in any way that I possibly can and to let people know that thoughts, feelings and situations do change.

Hi, I am a Peer Support Worker for the Integrated Place Based Team in Spalding for

South Lincoln and Rural. Born and bred in Wales and Mam to one little one.

After accessing support with my own mental health at various stages through my life, most recently after the birth of my little girl, I want to enable others to feel empowered, confident and heard during times of distress or unease. My hope is to guide others to manage their struggles in a way that is healthier and easier to navigate. We all have dark moments in our lives but it is how we face our demons is what determines how we can life fulfilling lives.

‘Hi, I’m known as Pat.

My past has involved managing my own traumas; from health to grieving, work to family life, and I am mindful that my experiences have given me the skills and knowledge to help other people to find an effective way forward in life.’

Hi, I’m Min.  I recently joined the wonderful team at Shine, as a Peer Support Worker in Imp.

Hi, I’m Travis. I’m a Peer Support Worker for Four Counties covering Stamford and Bourne. I have previously been a volunteer and Night Light Café Co-Ordinator for a mental health charity based in Stamford.  I’m excited to have the opportunity to build upon that experience and walk alongside others on their journey to wellbeing.

Hi, I’m Lisa and I am a Peer Support Worker for Four Counties, covering Stamford, Bourne and the surrounding areas.

I am a mum of 3 and have a background in the healthcare industry.  After suffering with my own struggles in life for various reasons and with my recent struggles with my mental health, I felt it was the right time to have a change in my career, and use my lived experience in helping others through their journey with mental health. Helping to project positivity into their lives and show them that there really is light at the end of the tunnel.

I am new in my role, but I am very excited to join Shine’s wonderful team and use my personal and professional skills in helping others to achieve their goals. Offering support, being that listening ear, and being that person who will walk your journey with you.

Hi I’m Donna

I am a Peer Support Worker covering the East Lindsey and  Meridian area and I work within the IBPT in Louth. 

I have always been passionate about mental health and being able to help others on their journeys.

In my previous job role as a Team Leader, I was also a Mental Health First Aider, supporting individuals within the business I worked with to support them on their mental health journey.

In my spare time I also volunteered as a listening ear for my local Samaritans Charity, which I learnt a lot about mental health and the challenges it brings. This was a very rewarding time for me.

After being on my own mental health journey, I am passionate about helping others. I have supported some of my close friends through their journeys and I am looking forward to being in the role of a Peer Support Worker.

 I started my role in October 2023, so I am very new but very excited to be taking on this role.

Hi, my name is Kay. I am a Peer Support worker for the Trent area.

I started in January 2023 and am now fully trained with a caseload.

I am very passionate about mental health and helping people. I feel my job is really rewarding. I get to walk alongside someone’s journey offering that peer support and seeing the progress made. 

“Hi I’m Gemma, I am a Peer Support Worker covering the First Coastal area. I work within the Integrated Placed Based Team in Skegness.

I started out in the fire service as a Welfare Support and Peer Support Worker, supporting groups and individuals with their own mental health and understanding of their thoughts and feelings, whether this was personal or following incidents they attended.

After starting my own journey to better mental health and working hard to discover myself and my own needs to compliment this, my passion grew to assist others through using these experiences as an inspiration to others in their own recovery journey. 

I love  helping others discover their own strengths and qualities, instilling self-worth and confidence in themselves to achieve their goals, no matter how big or small. Every goal achieved is success and a step forward into achieving the life you would like to lead. It’s a discovery of what ignites your own fire and tending to your own needs to allow yourself to live a fulfilled life which you value, and I love walking alongside others to help them reach this point. It’s listening and encouraging where needed, giving others the opportunities they may not see themselves.

I have been in post since February 2022 and can honestly say I love my role and what it brings every day. There is no Monday morning feeling, just the opportunity to meet others and help them live a life they can love too. This does not mean life will be perfect every day, it means we can take the good with the not so good and still understand we value our days and live happily and fulfilled. It fulfils me to help others reach that point by sharing my own journey.”

Hello everyone. I’m Dawn and I am a Peer Support Worker for the Integrated Place Based Team at Grantham. I joined Shine in December 2021 and come with my own lived experience of mental health. 

I have been very fortunate to have had access to Mental Health Services for which I am very grateful for as they have helped me understand my own emotions, triggers and have given me the tools to live the life I lead now. 

I love to be outdoors, taking on new challenges. The latest being the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, which was a huge personal accomplishment.

My passion is to support others, to give hope and guide in the direction they wish to pursue.

Hi, I’m Christine.  I recently joined the wonderful team at Shine, as a Peer Support Worker in Boston.

Hi, I’m Jamieleigh. I recently joined the wonderful team at Shine, as a Peer Support Worker in Apex/Lincoln.