How can you align your values with those of your clients in Peer Support?

2 Learn about your clients' values

The next step is to learn about your clients' values and how they relate to their mental health recovery. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, listening actively, and showing curiosity and empathy. You can also do some research on the cultural, social, and historical context of your clients' values, and avoid making assumptions or stereotypes. By learning about your clients' values, you can understand their perspectives, goals, and preferences better.

3 Find common ground

Once you have a clear idea of your own and your clients' values, you can look for areas of common ground. This means finding values that you both share or respect, and that can support your clients' recovery process. For example, you may both value honesty, hope, or resilience. You can use these common values as a basis for building rapport, trust, and collaboration with your clients. You can also acknowledge and celebrate the differences that make you and your clients unique and diverse.

4 Manage value conflicts

Sometimes, you may encounter situations where your values and your clients' values clash or contradict. This can create ethical dilemmas, communication barriers, or emotional distress for you or your clients. In these cases, it's important to manage the value conflicts in a respectful and professional way. To do this, recognize the value conflict and its impact, seek support from peers or mentors, clarify your role and boundaries as a peer supporter, communicate openly and honestly with your client while expressing concerns in a non-judgmental way, explore alternatives or compromises that can accommodate both values and promote recovery, and document and report the value conflict and how you handled it.

5 Review and revise your values

Finally, you need to review and revise your values regularly, as they may change over time or in different contexts. You can use feedback, evaluation, or self-assessment tools to monitor how well you are aligning your values with your clients'. You can also seek ongoing education, training, or personal development opportunities to enhance your cultural competence and sensitivity. By reviewing and revising your values, you can ensure that you are providing ethical, effective, and respectful peer support to your clients.