The Clinician’s Role in Youth Peer Support Services for Mental Health

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Abstract

Youth Peer Support Services (YPSS)—where youth with lived experience of mental health challenges support peers—address the growing, unmet need for youth mental health services. This article emphasizes the vital role of clinicians in training, supervising, and supporting youth peer support workers (YPSWs) to ensure effective service delivery. Clinical vignettes highlight how tailored supervision, role clarity, and boundary management help YPSWs leverage their lived experience while maintaining professionalism. The vignettes demonstrate the transformative potential of YPSS on recovery and underscore the importance of clinician-led training, supervision, and organizational support. Key considerations for clinicians in YPSS implementation are discussed, offering guidance for effectively supporting the integration of YPSS into mental health systems.

Continuing Education Information

1 CE Credit, Instructional Level: Intermediate

1 Contact Hour (New York Board of Psychology)

Learning Objectives:

  1. Discuss how Youth Peer Support Services address the unmet need for youth mental health services.
  2. Identify the clinician’s role in training, supervising, and supporting youth peer support workers (YPSWs) to ensure effective service delivery.
  3. Explain the importance of clinician-led training, supervision, and organizational support when implementing YPSS into mental health systems.

Disclosures: No conflicts of interest to disclose. Generative AI was not used in the development or content.

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CE Disclaimers

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The National Register maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0010

Haft & Martinez

Stephanie L. Haft, PhD, is a pre-licensed clinical psychologist and an NIMH postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (DPBS) and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Her research is focused on developing and evaluating novel mental health interventions for depression, trauma-related disorders, and eating disorders.

William Martinez, PhD, ABPP (he/him), is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UCSF, and Vice Chair of Diversity and Health Equity for the department. He is also Director of the Child and Adolescent Services clinic in the Division of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. 

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