32 Healthcare Quarterly Vol.18 Special Issue 2016 Peer Support Cheryl Forchuk, Michelle Solomon and Tazim Virani Abstract The Mental Health Commission of Canada defines peer support as “a supportive relationship between people who have a lived experience in common … in relation to a mental health challenge or illness … related to their own mental health or that of a loved one” (Sunderland et al. 2013: 11). In Ontario, a key resource for peer support is the Ontario Peer Development Initiative (OPDI), which is an umbrella organization of mental health Consumer/Survivor Initiatives (CSIs) and peer support organizations across the province of Ontario. Member organizations are run by and for people with lived experience of a mental health or addiction issue and provide a wide range of services and activities within their communities. The central tenet of member organiza- tions is the common understanding that people can and do recover with the proper supports in place and that peer support is integral to successful recovery. Nationally, Peer Support Accreditation and Certification Canada has recently been established. The relatively new national organization focuses on training and accrediting peer support workers. This paper focuses on a range of diverse peer support groups and CSIs that operate in London and surrounding areas. Peer Support in Region A review of peer support programs in the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) identified eight programs that were publically funded through the South West LHIN and operated by a CSI. The programs were assessed against promising practice criteria for peer support identified in the literature. The majority of South West LHIN peer support models used by CSIs were based on an informal peer support model or a walk-in centre. In addition, some of the programs also used a formal/intentional peer support model. However, since intentional peer support was often reported in the absence of formal matching (i.e., formal matching being a key element of formal peer support), it may be possible that the identifica- tion to a formal/intentional peer support model was used more broadly than intended. Table 1 below (Sunderland et al. 2013) denotes a spectrum of peer support models that range from friendship to clinical care. Peer support models used in the South West LHIN were more aligned to the friendship end of the spectrum of models (see Table 2) (Mings and Cramp 2014). The eight programs are identified by number only within the chart. In addition, most of the beneficiaries of peer support were identified through word of mouth, outreach and commu- nity referrals. In some instances, referrals were made by mental health professionals where some linkages were established, the majority of which were not formalized. The Transitional Discharge Model (TDM) research study implemented in the London area provided interactions between some of the CSIs and mental healthcare professionals and service organizations.