Coast’s Peer Support Program is built on the power of lived and living experience. Through shared understanding, peer support workers help foster hope, connection, and recovery for people experiencing mental health challenges.

Based out of Coast’s Resource Centre, the program trains individuals with lived or living experience of mental illness to use their personal recovery journeys to support others. Peer support workers draw on their firsthand experiences to provide encouragement, understanding, and practical support in a way that promotes trust, empowerment, and belonging.

People who are ready to share their experiences and support others can apply for peer support training, which is offered several times throughout the year. Participants complete more than 70 hours of classroom learning followed by a 50-hour practicum, gaining the knowledge and skills needed to pursue a variety of peer support and support worker roles.