Peer

As part of the Windhorse approach to trialogue, efforts to elicit, include, maintain, and strengthen the peer voice have been pursued.  The peer position is one "branch" of the trialogue, the other two being professional and family.  (Technically "peer" identifies the relation between equals, in this case clients, so the broad use of the term "peer" frequently is a misnomer.  At Windhorse, "peers" is used largely to denote "clients," who happen to stand in a peer relationship to each other.)

Windhorse opened in Northampton in 1993.  Sally Clay soon became (1994) its first "peer advocate."  She had an extensive background in other settings, but initially at Windhorse she found few opportunities for peer engagement with the approach, such as holding an occasional group, the occasional use of an advocacy on a team, and a stint on the Windhorse Board of Directors.  She laid the groundwork for the slow growth of the role of peers in the approach here.  After Sally Clay left, Windhorse hired Dave Stark as Peer Support Coordinator. His skills and leadership brought about the development of ways to give more weight to the client voice.  Currently Windhorse offers peer counselors on teams to conduct three hour basic attendance shifts with clients. In addition a peer counselor training process is available for Windhorse "graduate". Read more about these roles below.

Peer Counseling | Peer Training