Levede erfaringer i fokus - peers som pionerer i det socialfaglige arbejde. En kvalitativ undersøgelse af peer-medarbejderes praksis

Abstract

Dette speciale omhandler peer-støtte i den socialfaglige indsats målrettet mennesker med psykiske lidelser, for at undersøge peer-støtte som en særlig tilgang til at imødekomme og reducere sociale problemer i forbindelse med psykisk sygdom. Projektets informanter består af seks peer-medarbejdere ansat i socialpsykiatri eller behandlingspsykiatri. Informanterne har forskellige faglig baggrund, med overvægt i relevante socialfaglige uddannelser. Titlen på dette speciale – ”Levede erfaringer i fokus – peers som pionerer i det socialfaglige arbejde” signalerer, at levede erfaringer med psykisk sygdom er central i forhold til at udøve peer-støtte i socialfagligarbejde. Betegnelser pionerer indikerer at peer-medarbejdere er med til at skabe ny praksis, med nyfortolkning af levede erfaringer, som en kompetence. Specialets undersøgelsesspørgsmål er som følgende: Hvilke muligheder og barrierer oplever peer-medarbejderne i den socialfaglige indsats? Spørgsmål besvares gennem seks kvalitative interviews, som er efterfølgende meningsfortolket, i tråd med den hermeneutiske tradition. Specialets analyse er gennemført som to delelementer: den oplevede rolleforvirring i peer-funktionen, og anerkendelse af peer-kvalifikationer på arbejdspladsen. Speciale inkluderer teorier af E. Goffmans om det stigmatiserende sociale samspil, som beskriver handlingsrumet for peer-medarbejdere, i det, at deres levede erfaringer med psykisk sygdom betragtes som en afvigelse fra normen. Vi inddrager recovery-perspektivet, som specificerer det sociale handlingsrum for helbredelse i forbindelse med psykisk sygdom. Vi bruger H. R. Fuchs Ebaugch teori om rolle exit til at beskrive udviklingen fra at være en patient/ bruger- til en forhenværende patient /bruger af den social faglige indsats. Vi inddrager A. Honneths teori om anerkendelse, for at definere betingelser for at individet opnår et godt liv. Specialets konklusion er, at peer-funktionen opleves som en mulighed fordi den giver mening og skaber forandring for brugere, samt for personalegruppen i det at peer-medarbejdernes særlige kompetencer beriger fællesskabet og kulturen omkring psykisk sygdom. Nogle af informanter giver udtryk for, at disse kompetencer ikke er anerkendes i starten af ansættelsen, men opnår en værdi efter peer-medarbejdere definerer sin rolle og viser kompetencer i handlinger. Denne adaptationsproces er beskrevet som præget af mistillid og stigmatisering, hvilket opfattes som en udfordring ved peer-funktionen. Det overordnede billede af specialets empiriske materiale er, at udfordringerne omkring peer-funktionen spiller en mindre rolle end den opnåede anerkendelse.

This dissertation will examine the peer-support for people with mental illnesses and its relation to social work. The peer-support is a special approach to manage and reduce social problems relating to mental health. The group of interview participants consists of six peer, who works in social or district psychiatry. They have different professional background, but most of them have relevant backgrounds in social work. The title of this thesis - “Focus on life experiences - peers as pioneers in social work” indicates that life experiences of a mental illness are the central element of peer-support in social work. The reference to pioneers indicates that peers are actively create new practice, to validate the life experiences to become working qualification. The thesis’ research question is: What kind of possibilities and barriers are experienced by peer-workers in social work? The project is based on six qualitative interviews, which we are analyse through the interpretation of meaning, along with the hermeneutical tradition. The thesis’ analysis is divided into two parts: The peer perception of a role conflict and The workplace’s acknowledgement of the peer’s competence. The thesis includes E. Goffman’s theory about stigma and how it determines social interactions. The peer-workers are embedded in this context, because their experiences with mental illness differ from approved standards about mental health. We engage the recovery-perspective that specifies which social conditions enable increase of recovery from mental illness. We use H. R. Fuchs Ebaugch’s theory about becoming an ex, to describe the development from being a patient/service user – to being a former patient/service user. In other words, it is a framework to understand what it means to leave behind a significant role or incorporate it into a new identity. We apply A. Honneth’s theory about acknowledgement to define the human being’s conditions of a good life. The thesis’ conclusion is that the peer-support is experienced as an opportunity, because it makes significant sense for the peers and it changes practice for the users and other staff. The peer-experience of mental illness enriches the community and culture. Some informants express that these qualifications are not acknowledged in the beginning of the employment, but obtain value after the peer-workers define their role and show their qualifications through actions. This process of Gruppe 58: A. Johansen, M. Fredriksson, J. Odgaard 2 adaptation is described as a mix of mistrust and stigmatisation, which is understood as a challenge related to the peer-support. The overall summary of this thesis’ empirical material is that the challenges connected to the peer-work play a smaller part than the achieved acknowledgement.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Levede erfaringer i fokus - peers som pionerer i det socialfaglige arbejde. En kvalitativ undersøgelse af peer-medarbejderes praksis

[Focus on life experiences - peers as pioneers in social work]