Peer to Peer

Peer-to-Peer is a unique, experiential learning program for people with any serious mental illness who are interested in establishing and maintaining their wellness and recovery. The course was written by Kathryn Cohan McNulty, a longtime mutual support group member and facilitator and former provider and manager in the mental health field who lives with a psychiatric disability.

Classes are open only to individuals living with a serious mental illness.

Peer-to-Peer consists of 10, two-hour units taught by a team of two trained “mentors” and a volunteer support person who are personally experienced at living well with mental illness. Mentors are trained in an intensive three-day training session and graduate ready to offer the course through their local NAMI affiliates. Participants come away from the course with a binder of hand-out materials, as well as many other tangible resources, including an advance directive, a “relapse prevention plan” to help identify tell-tale feelings, thoughts, behavior, or events that may warn of impending relapse and to organize for an intervention,  mindfulness exercises to help focus and calm thinking, and survival skills for working with providers and the general public.

**Class and Support Group information provided by NAMI Ohio with permission.