Building social support and community integration

Building a full rewarding life in the community, including connections with other people and successful engagement in roles like worker and student, is what successful recovery looks like. Mental illness usually disrupts our lives and our involvement in our community. A key part of recovery is repairing the damage and/or building a new enjoyable life to live. That is not easy and often does not happen without significant help. Peer Support Specialists have a key strategic role in supporting community integration and being part of interventions focused on building social support and community engagement. This book is designed to be an easy-to-access resource for Peer Support Specialists to use as they work with clients seeking to expand their community integration and/or social support. It provides basic information about the terms, strategies and services that are currently available, and describes some of the promising new interventions in this area.