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- Tasks: Support individuals with eating disorders on their recovery journey through shared experiences.
- Company: Join Mersey Care, a leading trust in mental health services across the North West.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working options and a supportive environment focused on personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by empowering others while sharing your own recovery story.
- Qualifications: Lived experience of eating disorders is essential; empathy and communication skills are key.
- Other info: Opportunities for informal visits and direct contact with the team for more insights.
The predicted salary is between 28800 - 43200 £ per year.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for someone with lived experience of eating disorders to join our community eating disorder service for adults as a Peer Support Worker. Through sharing wisdom informed by lived experience and knowledge, the post holder will:
- Support and promote recovery as a user-led concept
- Emphasise hope and optimism, individual aspirations, and goals
- Value experiential learning
- Focus on strengths rather than deficits
- Foster collaboration between those who need support and those who support them
- Enable and promote autonomy and self-management
The post holder will demonstrate an attitude which respects and values service users and their carers and have a clear understanding of professional boundaries.
Duties of the Role Include:
- Establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users.
- Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques, and experience.
- Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy, and hopefulness by sharing your own recovery story to inspire and instil confidence in peers.
- Share and promote coping, self-help, and self-management techniques within the peer relationship.
- Support service users to identify and overcome fears, and challenge negative self-talk within a relationship of empathy, trust, and honesty.
- Facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable service users to participate in community activities, maximising opportunities for socially valued roles and positive identity.
- Accompany service users to appointments or meetings of their choice and perform practical tasks aligned with recovery goals.
- Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes towards multidisciplinary team members, service users, and carers.
- Maintain a focus on the rights of service users at all times.
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving over 1.4 million people across our region. We offer specialist inpatient and community services supporting physical and mental health, including inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction, and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK offering high secure mental health facilities. At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable, and efficient. We support our staff to do their best work and collaborate with service users, families, and carers to co-design future services. We are currently implementing organisational and service transformations to improve quality and reduce costs. Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Peer Support Worker employer: Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Contact Detail:
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Recruiting Team
debra.quine@merseycare.nhs.uk
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Peer Support Worker
✨Tip Number 1
Make sure to connect with current or former Peer Support Workers in the field. They can provide invaluable insights into the role and share their experiences, which can help you understand what to expect and how to excel.
✨Tip Number 2
Familiarise yourself with the principles of recovery-oriented practice. Understanding these concepts will not only enhance your knowledge but also demonstrate your commitment to the values that underpin the role when you engage with the interviewers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to share your own recovery story in a way that highlights your strengths and resilience. This personal touch can resonate with interviewers and show them how your lived experience can inspire and support others.
✨Tip Number 4
Research Mersey Care's community services and their approach to mental health. Being knowledgeable about their mission and values will allow you to tailor your conversations and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
We think you need these skills to ace Peer Support Worker
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Before applying, make sure you fully understand the responsibilities and expectations of a Peer Support Worker. Reflect on how your lived experience aligns with the role and be prepared to articulate this in your application.
Craft a Personal Statement: Write a compelling personal statement that highlights your lived experience with eating disorders. Emphasise how this experience has shaped your understanding of recovery and how you can support others in their journey.
Highlight Relevant Skills: In your CV, focus on skills that are relevant to the role, such as empathy, communication, and the ability to foster collaboration. Provide examples of how you've used these skills in past experiences, whether personal or professional.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to tailor your application specifically for this position at Mersey Care. Use keywords from the job description and demonstrate how your values align with their commitment to 'perfect care' and supporting service users.
How to prepare for a job interview at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
✨Share Your Personal Journey
As a Peer Support Worker, your lived experience is invaluable. Be prepared to share your recovery story and how it has shaped your understanding of the challenges faced by service users. This will help demonstrate your empathy and ability to connect with others.
✨Emphasise Strengths and Goals
During the interview, focus on how you can help service users identify their strengths and set achievable recovery goals. Discuss specific techniques or tools you have used in the past that have been effective in promoting self-management and autonomy.
✨Demonstrate Professional Boundaries
It's crucial to show that you understand the importance of maintaining professional boundaries while fostering supportive relationships. Be ready to discuss how you would balance empathy with professionalism in your interactions with service users.
✨Highlight Collaboration Skills
Collaboration is key in this role. Talk about your experience working with multidisciplinary teams and how you can facilitate connections between service users and community resources. Share examples of how you've successfully supported others in achieving their goals.
