This article by Sera Davidow has been published by Mad in America. It begins:
“Peer respite has gained a fair amount of ground since its start. With now over three dozen peer respites across the country, the numbers still fall far short of where they should be, but are nonetheless headed in a promising direction… if the integrity of the model has and can be maintained. But, that’s a big ‘if,’ and recent bumps in Connecticut and other states serve to reveal just how challenging keeping an alternative approach actually alternative can be. Oregon is one prominent example of how things can go awry, even when they seem to start off on the right foot.
Who Are Our Lions?
The mission of a peer respite is to provide a non-clinical, alternative to landing on an inpatient psychiatric unit or other more invasive and harmful environment when someone is in emotional distress or otherwise perceived to be at risk due to extreme mental states and similar. These spaces provide a homelike place to stay (typically somewhere between five nights and two weeks depending on the particular respite) where everyone there (both working and staying) has faced life-interrupting challenges of a similar nature. The opportunities to rest, be heard, build community, make meaning, and turn ‘crisis’ into a learning opportunity are all consistently available …”
You can read more from here.
