1. Can you share your personal journey of recovery and how it has shaped your approach to peer support?

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• • What to Look For: Honest, reflective answers that demonstrate self-awareness, resilience, and a commitment to personal growth. Look for insights into how their experiences have equipped them to support others.

 

2. What are some approaches you could use to establish trust and build rapport with a peer in the lobby who might be initially reluctant to engage?
 

• • What to Look For: Strategies that demonstrate creativity and an ability to engage, be natural, and that tap into empathy, active listening, and patience.
     

3. Describe a time when you had to navigate a challenging situation with a peer. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?
 

• • What to Look For: Problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Look for examples of using personal experience to connect and innovative creativity that demonstrates the ability to think on their feet.
     

4. How much do you know about the mental health, substance use, and homeless resources in the County?
 

• • What to Look For: Either knowledge of the resources in the area or a willingness to learn. Look for the ways they describe them; are they easy to understand and accurate? If they're not from the County then you could ask them to share about the resources in their local area.
     

5. How do you maintain your own mental health and well-being while supporting others?

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• • What to Look For: Awareness of self-care practices, boundaries, and the importance of seeking support when needed. 
     

6. In what ways do you integrate diverse cultural perspectives and traditions into your peer support work?

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• • What to Look For: Cultural sensitivity, openness to learning, and a commitment to inclusivity. Responses should reflect an understanding of the importance of respecting and incorporating diverse backgrounds and traditions.
     

7. How do you advocate for peers within a clinical or organizational setting? Can you provide an example?

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• • What to Look For: Advocacy skills, confidence in navigating systems, and a strong sense of ethics. Look for examples of standing up for peers' rights and needs in a respectful and effective manner.
     

8. What do you think is the most important principle of peer support, and why?

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• • What to Look For: Alignment with core principles of peer support such as mutual respect, shared experience, and empowerment. Responses should show a deep understanding of the philosophy behind peer support.
     

9. How would you handle a situation where a peer’s needs go beyond what you can provide?

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• • What to Look For: Recognition of limits, ability to refer to other resources, and maintaining professional boundaries. Candidates should demonstrate knowing when to seek additional help for a peer.
     

10. What might you say to someone who doesn’t believe in the biomedical model and does not believe that mental health conditions are illnesses?

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• • What to Look For: Responses that don’t invalidate the Participants’ perspective but either elicit more information or empathize with it, finding paths forward.
     

11. What are the differences between Peer Support and clinical roles?

 

• • What to Look For: An awareness of the boundaries around medication, diagnosis, and treatment planning for Peer staff.
     

12. What are some things that bring you meaning and purpose?
 

• • What to Look For: The willingness to explore existential ideas and having put thought into the deeper drivers of human behavior.