TY - JOUR
AU - S. Lawn
AU - M. Rattray
AU - B. Fuss
AU - T. Shelby-James
AU - L. Byrne
AU - P. Worley
AU - S. Manger
AU - G. Harris
AU - B. Guy
AU - A. Alvarez
AU - D. Henkel
AU - P. Creedon
AU - T. Stevenson
AU - V. Isaac
AU - B. Kaambwa
AU - S. Ullah
AU - C. Phegan
A1 - 
AB - Primary care (general practice) clinics play a significant role in ongoing mental health care and assessment, treatment, and referral of people experiencing distress. Peer support workers (PSWs) are part of the growing Lived Experience workforce in many mental healthcare settings and evidence for their value is growing rapidly. Yet, this workforce is largely absent from primary care. Qualitative interviews with 10 consumers, six family carers, eight PSWs, and 14 general practice doctors, nurses and administrative staff occurred prior to a real-world trial and explored their perceptions of the potential benefits of introducing a PSW intervention for people who seek help for their mental health within primary care in Australia. Interview data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clark's six-step guide, following an inductive approach. Four themes were identified: (1) offering companionship, validation, and hope; (2) sharing learnings and providing practical support; (3) aiding in communication and offering consistency to help address service system gaps and health service navigation; and (4) redistributing power and advocacy. There was strong agreement across interviewees about potential positive impacts that PSWs could have in enhancing mental health care in primary care. These benefits require testing within primary care, given known challenges with awareness and understanding of the PSW role by other health professional disciplines in mental health settings, and differences related to how peer support and primary care practice are delivered. Overall, these perspectives and the existing evidence suggest that peer support may lead to more responsive, safe, effective, and person-centred primary mental health care.
AD - Flinders University (College of Medicine and Public Health), Adelaide, Australia. Sharon.lawn@flinders.edu.au.; Lived Experience Australia Ltd, Adelaide, Australia. Sharon.lawn@flinders.edu.au.; Flinders University (College of Medicine and Public Health), Adelaide, Australia.; Yale (School of Medicine), New Haven, USA.; Lived Experience Training (.org), Brisbane, Australia.; Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, Murray Bridge, Australia.; Southern Fleurieu Family Practice, Adelaide, Australia.; James Cook University (School of Medicine), Brisbane, Australia.; Fig Tree Medical Clinic, Maleny, Australia.; Mental Health Coalition of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.; Community Mental Health Australia, Canberra, Australia.; TANDEM, Melbourne, Australia.; Mental Health Commission of NSW, Sydney, Australia.; Skylight Mental Health, Adelaide, Australia.; Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia, Brisbane, Australia.; Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia.; Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, SA Health, Renmark, Australia.
AN - 41243085
BT - Adm Policy Ment Health
C5 - Education & Workforce
CP - 2
DA - Mar
DO - 10.1007/s10488-025-01479-2
DP - NLM
ET - 20251116
IS - 2
JF - Adm Policy Ment Health
LA - eng
N2 - Primary care (general practice) clinics play a significant role in ongoing mental health care and assessment, treatment, and referral of people experiencing distress. Peer support workers (PSWs) are part of the growing Lived Experience workforce in many mental healthcare settings and evidence for their value is growing rapidly. Yet, this workforce is largely absent from primary care. Qualitative interviews with 10 consumers, six family carers, eight PSWs, and 14 general practice doctors, nurses and administrative staff occurred prior to a real-world trial and explored their perceptions of the potential benefits of introducing a PSW intervention for people who seek help for their mental health within primary care in Australia. Interview data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clark's six-step guide, following an inductive approach. Four themes were identified: (1) offering companionship, validation, and hope; (2) sharing learnings and providing practical support; (3) aiding in communication and offering consistency to help address service system gaps and health service navigation; and (4) redistributing power and advocacy. There was strong agreement across interviewees about potential positive impacts that PSWs could have in enhancing mental health care in primary care. These benefits require testing within primary care, given known challenges with awareness and understanding of the PSW role by other health professional disciplines in mental health settings, and differences related to how peer support and primary care practice are delivered. Overall, these perspectives and the existing evidence suggest that peer support may lead to more responsive, safe, effective, and person-centred primary mental health care.
PY - 2026
SN - 0894-587X (Print); 0894-587x
SP - 125
EP - 141+
ST - The Potential Role of Peer Support Workers in General Practice: Perspectives of Consumers, Carers, Peer Support Workers and General Practice Staff
T1 - The Potential Role of Peer Support Workers in General Practice: Perspectives of Consumers, Carers, Peer Support Workers and General Practice Staff
T2 - Adm Policy Ment Health
TI - The Potential Role of Peer Support Workers in General Practice: Perspectives of Consumers, Carers, Peer Support Workers and General Practice Staff
U1 - Education & Workforce
U3 - 10.1007/s10488-025-01479-2
VL - 53
VO - 0894-587X (Print); 0894-587x
Y1 - 2026
ER -