Peer Leaders & Trainers
- Could I be a peer leader? - what is involved and how to I find out more?
- Online Self Management Network - link up with others interested in self management
- News relating to self management programmes
- Want to read more? Visit research and additional information page
Could I be a Peer Leader?
Are you interested in teaching and empowering others to better manage their health conditions and to live a healthy life? Have you attended a self management course and made improvements in your own life? If you have answered yes to these questions, then you may like to consider becoming a peer leader and helping provide this course to your local community. Peer leaders find the group facilitation and communication skills they learn for the course can be very valuable in other areas of their life. Most importantly, you will find significant satisfaction in watching people use the skills and tools that you have shared with them make big improvements in their lives and with their families.
Peer Leader Training is available for anyone living with a long-term condition including patients, family members, caregivers, & educators. Thousands of patients and caregivers have been trained to lead Self-Management Workshops in over 25 countries and with a wide range of ethic groups and communities.
We hope you will consider becoming a volunteer group leader for this worthwhile programme. You will have fun, meet new friends and help others to positively self manage their chronic conditions.
Characteristics of a Peer Leader
Here are some of the characteristics of people who make excellent peer leaders. Read through and see if this sounds like you. If not, that's fine, there are lots of other ways you can be involved and help share this course with others.
Characteristics of excellent peer leaders:
- Responsible, respectful and trustworthy
- Respected within your own community
- Able to problem solve
- Open to new ideas
- Able to keep confidentiality (not talk about people's problems to others)
- Agree with the philosophy of the programme, its objectives and goals
- Excellent communicator, considerate of others and thoughtful
- Able to facilitate a group discussion (this one you can learn through the course)
- Enjoy meeting new people and helping others
- Willing to listen, learn new skills, and become a healthy role model
Online Self Management Network
The Self Management Network was the original group that started Health Navigator NZ after realising there was a real need for a website such as this.
We have recently created the online site as a network for everyone interested in self management. It's a place to go, share ideas, stories, experiences and is part of the new phenomenon known as Web 2.0. (simply means interactive and the content is created by the users). You can join a group (there's one specially for the Stanford Model/CDSMP Programme) start a new one or write a blog.
This site will be of value to Peer Leaders, course participants, clinicians, managers in NZ, Australia and further afield - anyone interested in talking online with others with similar interests.
Check it out today! Let's make it really interesting and worthwhile so start adding your ideas or content now.
News relating to self management programme
The Surgeon General (in the USA) has highlighted the benefits of community-based self-management programmes. (July-August report 2009) Read what he has to say:
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"Community-based self-management programmes will be particularly important in helping older adults manage their chronic conditions. Self-management programmes help individuals gain self-confidence in their ability to control symptoms and manage the progression of several long-term and chronic age-related illnesses. Programmes such as Stanford University School of Medicine’s “Chronic Disease Self-Management Program” and Senior Services of Seattle’s “Enhance Fitness” programme significantly increase the self-confidence of older adults when it comes to their health and managing their chronic illnesses. To obtain the best possible outcomes using self-management strategies in chronic conditions, patients must have access to information and services that can help them learn about and cope with their disease. Such information will also help them gain confidence in their ability to better manage their particular illness.... Surgeon General's Perspectives, Public Health Reports / July–August 2009 / Volume 124 |