Who: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) runs an integrated peer support service across its mental health teams. Peer support workers are people with their own lived experience of mental ill health, employed to work alongside people using services. They’re embedded in clinical teams across the health board, often working in isolation from each other.
The brief: The peer support team wanted a facilitated session to bring the workforce together, reflect on their practice, and think collectively about four questions: what their service is about (including developing a strapline for their new logo), how they grow individually and as a team, how they look after their own wellbeing, and how they stay connected between meetings.
What I did: I designed and facilitated a three-hour reflective workshop, planned for up to 18 people. On the day, six people attended, so I adapted the structure in the room, dropping the planned small group activities in favour of a single open conversation. We used paired interviews to open the session and warm up the group, a 1-2-4-all to brainstorm words and phrases for the service strapline, and an appreciative enquiry circle for the reflective rounds.
The smaller group actually made for a richer conversation. The themes that emerged, role drift, isolation, compassion fatigue, the value of peer connection, and the challenge of measuring what peer support actually does, were candid and substantial.
What they said: Participants described the session as a chance to prioritise themselves, and to have a laugh about the realities of the role with others who understand, in contrast to the emotional attentiveness their day-to-day work demands. They left asking how to make this kind of space more widely available, and how it could bridge peer connection and support at the moments it’s most needed. “It reminds you of the why, it’s a refresh of the feeling of being in a peer support team.”
The client’s feedback was lovely: “A huge thank you to you for facilitating such a wonderful team day. It really did feel naturally held and very fitting for a space that was about connection. I especially appreciated how fluid you were in allowing conversations to take their own course; it felt really responsive to the group and created a relaxed, authentic atmosphere. There was a real sense of openness, reflection and reconnection as a team, which felt lovely to witness. Your flexibility on the day was a real strength and definitely added to the overall experience.”
