How can peer support professionals evaluate their own performance?

1 Set goals and expectations

One of the first steps to evaluate your own performance is to set clear and realistic goals and expectations for yourself and your peer support role. What are the outcomes you want to achieve for yourself and the people you support? What are the standards and competencies you need to follow and demonstrate? What are the ethical and legal responsibilities you have as a peer support professional? By defining your goals and expectations, you can have a clear vision of what success looks like, and how to measure your progress and achievements.

3 Use self-assessment tools

A third way to evaluate your own performance is to use self-assessment tools that can help you reflect on your skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as a peer support professional. Self-assessment tools can be in the form of questionnaires, checklists, scales, or rubrics that can help you rate yourself on various aspects of your peer support role. For example, you can use the Peer Support Self-Assessment Tool (PSAT) developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, which covers 10 domains of peer support practice. Self-assessment tools can help you gain insight into your strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas for learning and development.

4 Keep a learning journal

A fourth way to evaluate your own performance is to keep a learning journal where you can record your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings as a peer support professional. A learning journal can help you capture your achievements and challenges, reflect on your actions and outcomes, and plan your next steps and goals. You can also use a learning journal to document your feedback and supervision sessions, your self-assessment results, and your learning activities. A learning journal can be a useful tool to track your growth and development, and to celebrate your successes.

5 Engage in continuous learning

A fifth way to evaluate your own performance is to engage in continuous learning that can help you update and enhance your skills, knowledge, and practice as a peer support professional. Continuous learning can include formal or informal education, training, workshops, webinars, podcasts, books, articles, or online resources that are relevant to your peer support role. Continuous learning can help you keep up with the latest trends and best practices, learn new techniques and strategies, and expand your perspectives and horizons. Continuous learning can also help you maintain your certification or accreditation, if applicable.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?