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Individual Peer Support

Yarrow Collective peer supporters offer 1:1 peer support in Northern Colorado! Read more below about our 1:1 peer support offerings. Once you feel ready, you can click the button below to request or make a referral for one of Yarrow's peer supporters to contact you.

What is Peer Support?

Peer Support is non-clinical support offered by a peer supporter (someone with lived experience). Lived experience varies from person to person - so the peer supporter you connect with might have lived experience navigating

 

  • mental illness, extreme states, or psychiatric diagnosis,

  • neurodivergence, 

  • disability or chronic illness,

  • grief, 

  • trauma (including childhood trauma), 

  • eating disorders, 

  • suicide attempts or suicidal thinking, 

  • life-interrupting problematic substance use, or 

  • criminal justice involvement; 

  • lived experience also might look like unique aspects of your identity (age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation) or experiences of oppression that might resonate with others. 

 

To be clear, we aren’t therapists or clinicians, we are folks who’ve “been there” and have a lot of compassion and space to offer to support those who might be struggling. 

 

Peer support is voluntary: you may engage or disengage at any time

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Peer support is self-directed: we respect your autonomy and choices at all times 

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Peer support is non-prescriptive: we won’t tell you what to do, but will support you along the way as you navigate your own unique life journey. We might share our lived experiences when appropriate, but ultimately we aren’t here to tell you what you should/must do. 

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Peer support is non-coercive and non-carceral: we will not force unwanted interventions onto you. We collaborate with you to find workable solutions or decisions that are made together. 

What might I do during a 1:1 peer support session? 

The beautiful thing about peer support is that it can look very different depending on who you are meeting with, what your wants are, but for a lot of folks having some expectations can be helpful. Here is a list of ways that a 1:1 session can look like - and a gentle reminder that you are free to chat about your needs with your supporter!

 

  1. Can be done on many platforms (phone, text, email, zoom, in-person)

  2. Going for a walk together

  3. Eating together

  4. Space to vent

  5. Receiving non-judgmental support from someone who’s “been there”

  6. Help finding resources

  7. Updating a resume

  8. Attending a meeting or appointment with you

  9. Attending a court date with you

  10. “Being with” you in a moment of difficulty

  11. Assistance exploring new wellness tools or practices

  12. Connecting you with a community of your choosing

  13. Exploring your own definition of what recovery or healing means to you

  14. Learning about harm reduction tools for substance use

  15. And more!

How Do I Find Individual (1:1) Peer Support?

All of our peer supporters are unique, multifaceted individuals with their own lived experiences and approaches to supporting others. You can explore a little bit about them by reading about Our Team and let us know in our 1:1 Peer Support Request Form if there is someone in particular on our team that you would most like to connect with. If you are not sure who you want to meet with, that’s okay! Fill out the 1:1 Peer Support Request Form anyways and someone from our team will reach out to you.

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Our Commitments

 

We understand that we are all in this world and therefore have, in varying degrees, likely internalized ableism, misogyny, racism, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, colonialism; we are dedicated to unpacking bigotry that may lie within us - particularly as it pertains to the relationship to our social position. We know that mistakes are inevitable, but are committed to mitigating harm, acknowledging our own privileges as they may exist, taking accountability for our actions, and striving to engage in ways that are non-violent and anti-oppressive. 


What if the person I'm connecting with isn't a good fit for me?

That’s okay! Not every supporter is going to necessarily be the right fit - it’s absolutely okay to explore a different peer supporter if you find that this is the case. Also, you may find that peer support is not right for you in general - also okay! We encourage each person to do what feels right, best, and most comfortable for themselves. If you have something you want to share about your experience please feel encouraged to give us feedback.

Other Helpful Questions 

Do These Resources Cost Money? 

No! They do not cost, but we do encourage all individuals participating in individual peer support to fill out this voluntary demographic form as it allows us to keep all of our offerings free!  

 

I Have Access Needs I Want to Share - How Do I Get Support?
If you have access needs you’d like to uplift please let us know - you can either communicate them directly to your peer supporter or email info@yarrowcollective.org to chat about making sure you are comfortable. 

 

Do I have to be sober from substances in order to receive peer support?

Sobriety or abstinence from substances is not a requirement and will never be expected to participate in our peer support spaces. We take a “come as you are” approach, acknowledging that there are multiple paths that people can be on, not all of which include abstinence. 

 

What about group peer support?

Yarrow Collective has a ton of groups you are welcome to check out! You can come to our peer support groups instead of doing 1:1 support or in addition to 1:1 support. For a full list of our groups you can visit this link. We have peer support groups for folks experiencing suicidality or other types of intense mental distress, substance use, chronic illness and disability, and affinity groups for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

 

Do peer supporters report back to police, therapists, or other people about what we talk about in peer support?

Peer supporters at Yarrow Collective uphold values of non-coercive, non-judgmental, and non-carceral practices.  Peer supporters do not report back (to supervisors, probation, parole, our funders, or other authorities) about what you share in peer support sessions or what’s going on in your life.  

 

Peer supporters do participate in co-reflection with other facilitators and 1:1 peer support specialists and may process what’s coming up for them as a supporter in peer support, but they will do so while honoring confidentiality and never sharing your name or specifics of your situation without consent.

 

What if I need support right away or after usual work hours?

We are not an immediate resource and are not available 24/7. We care about the individuals who reach out to us, but we are also a collective of peer supporters who have various needs around time and responsiveness. We will get back to you when we are able, but would like those reaching out to be aware that it may take a moment. If you need immediate support or in case of emergency, see the crisis and non-crisis resources on our Resources page. 

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