The role of policy in driving peer-to-peer mental health support

How can policies be used as a tool to help people feel less alone in the world?

When COVID-19 broke out in 2020, I felt deeply alone and isolated from society due to social distancing. Peer support helped me cope with the events unfolding in the world, and the support I received inspired my mental health advocacy journey: creating mindfulness initiatives to support others struggling with their mental health. .

I currently study environmental science and policy at Columbia University, and it’s easy to see the overlap in the role of policy in driving climate infrastructure. When I began advocating for mental health resources, I assumed that policy and mental health were two disparate fields that rarely intertwined. However, when I joined Mental Health America’s Youth Policy Accelerator cohort, I realized that policies can boost mental health and peer support infrastructure. Policies play a powerful role in transforming the mental health of communities.

Mental Health America recently hosted a Youth Council for Policy Change discuss the importance of various mental health bills and the role of young people in promoting mental health policies. The town hall featured several speakers from the mental health sector and the policy arena, including Parker Reynolds, health policy advisor to Senator Bill Cassidy, who discussed the importance of young people being actively involved in policy advocacy. He encouraged young people to “take the time to write to his office” because congressional offices are receptive to these letters. Reynolds said about 800 bills in the Senate focus on health care, and people can let senators know which bills they think should take priority.

The town hall also featured a panel of youth leaders, where young people from diverse backgrounds discussed the importance of peer support. Dionne Regis, a member of the Youth Policy Accelerator, discussed how peer support is especially essential for “students of color and students from immigrant backgrounds,” where mental health “is often considered taboo and not talked about as much in the schools”. the family unit.” Peer support can help these people access mental health support if they can’t find it at home.

Aimee Resnik, another member of the Youth Policy Accelerator, discussed the importance of “Peer Support Technical Assistance Center” section of the SSubstance Use Disorder Prevention Promoting Recovery and Opioid Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2023, also known as the SUPPORT Reauthorization Act. He talked about how many suicide prevention call centers are experiencing a huge increase in calls and haven’t been able to handle them all, which is why he believes expanding peer-to-peer secondary lines is important.

What is the APOYO Reauthorization Act?

The bipartisan SUPPORT Reauthorization Act was introduced by Senator Bill Cassidy in July 2023 because the original SUPPORT Act would expire in September 2023. This reauthorization bill would ensure that essential provisions of the original SUPPORT Act remained intact while time would add critical modifiers to strengthen the original law, including its peer support elements.

Why is peer support an important resource?

Before delving into the specific elements of this bill, let’s first explore its relevance. According to data collected by Mental Health America, 44% of youth ages 14 to 18 indicated that access to youth peer support was one of the most important mental health resources. for them. Because there may be challenges to accessing mental health care, such as the costs of services, along with a shortage of mental health professionals in the US, youth peer support is a vital resource. He Born This Way Foundation found that 36% of young people would turn to a friend first when they had serious problems related to their mental health and that around 67% of young people believe that peer support is helpful. Additionally, more than 80% of youth believe that peer support can meet the diversity of their communities, as the current mental health workforce does not reflect the diverse identities and experiences of youth seeking support. Although it does not replace clinical mental health care, peer support has been shown to improve the lives of young people struggling with mental health.

What are the key youth peer support elements of the SUPPORT Reauthorization Act?

The Mental Health America team, including the Youth Policy Accelerator Cohort, identified four key elements in the SUPPORT Reauthorization Act that would bring progress to peer-to-peer youth programs across the country.

1. Create grants for high school peer programs

Funding is essential to ensure that secondary schools can implement effective peer support programs. The SUPPORT Reauthorization Act would allow high schools to obtain grants for mental health support programs, which would fund peer support initiatives.

2. Reauthorize a federal peer support technical assistance center

The bill would reauthorize funding for the enhancement of the National Technical Assistance and Peer Training Center for Addiction Recovery Support; increase development and training opportunities for specialists who provide peer support to others; improve the accessibility and effectiveness of peer support initiatives; and build local support by establishing a pilot regional center of excellence.

3. Collect vital data on peer services for youth in Medicaid

Medicaid covers 1 in 2 youth, making it a major source of funding for peer-to-peer youth services. Currently, we have limited data on the use of peer services for youth in Medicaid. Access to this data would help us better understand what is happening, as well as advocate for greater access to youth peer support for the many young people who want it.

4. Codify the Office of Recovery in SAMHSA to promote the lived experience

Two years ago, the Recovery Office at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was established to create partnerships that support families, communities, and all people affected by mental health and/or substance-related problems on the path to recovery, resilience and well-being. This bill would codify SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery, allowing for sustained organization that promotes access, regulation, and advancement of recovery support services.

Demand measures to support young peers

The SUPPORT Reauthorization Act creates the path for essential peer-to-peer mental health infrastructure. These provisions should not be lost before the final bill is passed. Participate in our action alert to tell your members of Congress that investing in peer support is critical to addressing the youth mental health crisis.

The recording of the town hall can be found here.

Saiarchana Darira is a member of the first cohort of Mental Health America’s Youth Policy Accelerator. She currently studies at Columbia University and is a member of the United States Youth Advisory Council for the United Nations Ocean Decade.