COPEScotland listening to colleagues recognises the need and value of peer support.

Peer support at work flipbooks
 Session One
Session Two
Session Three

The slides have been put together to help create an informal, safe space to connect, learn and share with others whose work-life experience is like your own. Or perhaps for people studying to explore shared spaces for discussing wellbeing and supporting each other.

The slides are inspired by listening to others who recognised the value, even once a month, of getting together for an hour, sharing a self-care idea for 20min then using the rest of the time to talk and be heard. The format for establishing this space can be used in any setting.

There have always been various challenges that we have faced. However, the pandemic, the ongoing restrictions, and the uncertainty means now, more than ever, we need to make time for our self-care, including how we create safe spaces with peers to share, learn and look out for each other as we adjust and keep adjusting to the new normal.

It's important to recognise that peer support is different from a more formal group therapy session or more formal mental/emotional wellbeing interventions. For anyone seeking more than what peer support can offer, it's helpful to remind group members of other supports. There are many lists of supports listed on the COPEScotland site.

We hope you find the following helpful. There is also a more detailed suite of training resources on creating safe spaces in peer-led and informal groups in the training section of the website. For now, we would like to share.

• Creating safe spaces to learn, share and build compassionate communities in the workplace
• Ideas for creating safe spaces and how to build a vision for your peer-led group
• Self-care ideas to share with your group and other points which may be helpful

This pandemic has been a challenge in so many ways whether you work in the NHS, care sector, postal services, retail, hospitality, the third sector, volunteering, logistics, or have been at school, university, college, and other places of learning.

Creating a peer support group that meets you and your colleagues' needs may not solve all the challenges, but perhaps, creating that one-hour space even once a month may help even a wee bit. Know people care about you too, and you also matter. We all only have so much energy. Using it in the way most helpful to our wellbeing matters.

Session One

Session Two

Session Three