Peer support
LawCare runs a peer supporters programme offering one-to-one support.
"One of LawCare's peer supporters helped me earlier in the year and I am now back on track thanks to her. I am doing well and billing and pressure has come away from me. I am also not drinking, she was amazing. Thank you so much, keep up the good work, you saved me!"
What is peer support and how does it help?
LawCare provides a peer support programme for the legal sector in the UK.
We have around 120 peer supporters, all volunteers who have first-hand experience of working in law and may have been through difficult times themselves. They offer support, encouragement and mentoring on a range of different issues such as alcohol addiction, stress and anxiety.
Peer support is when people use their own experiences to help others. Getting emotional support from people who have similar lived experiences to you can improve wellbeing, increase self esteem and confidence, provide hope that you can move on from a difficult situation and help you manage it better. Our peer supporters, all have first hand experience of legal education, training and practice and lived experience of a difficult time in their personal or professional life such as mental health problems, addiction or work related issues such as facing disciplinary investigations, bullying, difficult relationships with colleagues or managing a heavy workload.
The most common issues our peer supporters can help with are :
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Anxiety
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Stress
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Depression
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Addiction
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Bereavement
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Relationship problems at work
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Returning to work after illness or a career break
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Worrying if law is the right career for you
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Facing disciplinary proceedings either by your regulator or employer
Peer support is not suitable for everyone and a member of the LawCare support services staff team will need to speak to you about your situation and ascertain whether peer support is appropriate for you before connecting you with one of our peer supporters. The decision regarding whether or not to allocate you a peer supporter remains entirely at the discretion of LawCare.
Once peer support is in place this will be monitored by the LawCare team. Circumstances can change and it is important to us to protect the wellbeing of our service users and our volunteers. In some cases this may mean ending a peer support relationship.
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Considerations
Many people find peer support helps them, but it is not for everyone. If you are already receiving professional psychiatric or therapeutic care then peer support may not be appropriate. Before considering making an application, think about the following:
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Am I comfortable talking about my experiences to new people? Talking about your experiences can make you feel more aware of your thoughts and emotions.
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Am I comfortable hearing about someone else’s experiences? Listening to someone else’s experiences can help you feel less alone and introduce you to new ways of coping but it may also be unhelpful.
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Am I well enough? If you are in an acute crisis, peer support may not be right for you at the moment.
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Is it the right time? Is peer support what you need at the moment?
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What support can I expect?
Our trained peer supporters offer help and emotional support from their lived experience. You may find it easier to talk to an understanding peer who has experienced what you are going through. Our peer supporters are not counsellors and they can’t provide you with solutions to your problems but they have been specifically selected and trained in listening skills and are empathetic and non judgemental. Peer supporters are not able to give legal or practice advice.
Our peer supporters reflect the diversity of the legal profession across the UK. They are drawn from all branches of the legal profession and career stages. They are from different age groups, genders and ethnic groups.
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How will I be in touch with my peer supporter?
Our peer supporters provide one to one emotional support by telephone. Usually peer supporters provide support over two to three phone calls, but it can be less or more than this, it just depends on what you need.
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Confidentiality
Anything you discuss with your peer supporter is confidential, we will only break your confidentiality if we are concerned that you are at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others or we are required by law to do so. LawCare's confidentiality policy is here
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Boundaries
We keep our peer supporters' details confidential too so your peer supporter will only give you their phone number if they feel comfortable doing so. We discourage peer supporters from meeting those they are helping except in certain exceptional circumstances, e.g. attending an AA meeting, and prefer that it is discussed with LawCare in advance. Peer supporters can't give legal or professional advice or provide a character witness, and the programme is not intended to be a befriending service.
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Next steps
If you feel a peer supporter could help you please complete the application form. One of our team will then be in touch by telephone. We will usually email first to arrange a suitable time to talk; if you have not heard from us within 48 hours please check your junk or spam folder.
During the call we will discuss your needs to ascertain whether peer support is appropriate in your case. It is not suitable for everyone and we may guide you towards a different source of support. Even if we feel it would be helpful for you we can’t guarantee that we will be able to offer you a peer supporter as this does depend on their availability. If we are unable to allocate a peer supporter you are of course able to call our helpline for emotional support. Our helpline 0800 279 6888 is open Monday to Friday 09.00am - 5.00pm. Find out more about our helpline here
Apply for a LawCare peer supporter
About LawCare peer support
Solicitor and LawCare peer supporter Jade Williams-Adedeji talks about the benefits of peer support.
We're here to listen...without judgement