How Do Engagement Strategies of Peer Support Workers Differ from Traditional Providers? Comparing Across the Dimensions of Function and Form.

Peer support workers (PSWs) are instrumental to engaging individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) in recovery and recovery-based services, yet their unique contributions to engagement are not well documented in the broader literature. This study examined how the engagement strategies of PSWs differ from those in the general mental health services literature across the dimensions of function (i.e., the purpose of the strategy) and form (i.e., the behaviors used to deliver the strategy). Twenty-five PSWs working in South Carolina were interviewed about engagement strategies they employ in their work. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed; engagement strategies were identified by the coding team using rapid qualitative analysis. Identified strategies were then compared with strategies from a published literature review on engagement interventions delivered in general mental health services across the dimensions of function and form. PSWs reported two engagement strategies that were different in function and form (Disclosing Lived Experiences, Humanizing the Individual), three strategies that were similar in function but different in form (Expectation Setting, Recovery Capital Building, Rapport Building/Relational Soft Skills), and one strategy that was similar in function and form (Motivational Interviewing/Enhancement) when compared to engagement strategies used in general mental health services. These findings suggest that even when PSWs employ engagement strategies with functions comparable to those used by other professionals, their distinct skillsets, flexibility and lived experience allow them to deliver these strategies in uniquely impactful ways. Implications for workforce development for PSWs and allied professionals serving individuals with SUD are discussed.