- Provide support so you can advocate for yourself with doctors, families, and/or schools. Sometimes there are moments where communication between teachers, doctors or loved ones can feel overwhelming or intimidating due to what you are experiencing or how they may perceive what you are experiencing.
- Offer their own experiences with psychosis symptoms and the process of seeking care.
- Remind you that experiencing symptoms is common and part of the human experience.
- Affirm what you have gone through and share the strength of peer support as a two-way street. Hearing about a YAPM’s experiences with treatment, diagnoses, identity, and especially how these all relate to each other when accessing care, can emphasize the normalcy of these hefty and sometimes painful journeys, which can help you (and the peer) feel less alone.
- Serve as a liaison to support groups, mentors, and communities where you need extra support.
- Talk with you about other opportunities to explore your interests, dreams, goals, passions, creativity.