Findings From Fifteen Years Of Delivering Carer Peer Support In A Clinical Mental Health Service.

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By June 6, 2016 No Comments

Authors: Cate Bourke, David Neef. Ian Brooks, Marina Hill and Sharon O’Boyle, VIC

Year: 2015

Event: 2015 TheMHS Conference

Subject: 2015 Conference Book of Proceedings, Carers Offering Peers Early Support (COPES), family carer peer support program in a clinical setting utilizing a partnership model.

Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers

Abstract: Research indicates carers experience the lowest subjective wellbeing of all Australians (Cummins et al 2007) and that a majority of mental health family carers note deterioration in their physical and mental health as a result of their caring role. SANE (2007). Services that address the impact of caring therefore have a valuable role to play. One such service, Carers Offering Peers Early Support (COPES) was developed in 1999. Now, fifteen years later, operating on a partnership model between clinical and non-clinical services, COPES has provided support to over 6000 carers in a clinical setting where carers can feel alone and challenged. Helping carers navigate the mental health system and their own carer journey can assist carers in caring for themselves. This paper summarises the successful embedding of a family carer peer support program in a clinical setting utilizing a partnership model.

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