One of the ‘new’ trends in behavioural health that is being picked up and thrown around with
increasing rapidity (and clumsiness) is the recovery coach. The compassionate paraprofessional, the
lived-experience merchant of community-based care and knowing grins. Phenomenal. The power
that is contained in a shared experience we all understand, the delivery of that in chaotic settings
where an individual’s life and wellbeing can be transformed deserves the attention it is receiving.
And here we are. Giving it attention. Sharing with all concerned how necessary it is, huge reviews
being conducted whose outcomes explicitly highlight the need for individuals with lived experience
for the benefit of ongoing care.
Rarely, very rarely, does anyone sit up and say, ‘Well, we aren’t exactly the first to be doing this.’
So here goes. We are late to the party. We are dragging back the shadows of healthcare approaches
that ignited a dynamic shift in the approach to treating alcoholism, addiction, mental health
struggles and behavioural health struggles. No wonder. As isolation hit its second wind in modern
day life with it’s discovery of global pandemics, as our colossal obsession with AI and technology
provides us with the perfect parquet flooring of a G.Harman/ H.Putnam conference, we are an
increasingly lonely species.
HELP.
Rather than geomapping a mountain pass we are moving back to the mountain guides, those who
have survived the pass.
Whether it be Dr Pinel, whether it be entire cultures plundered for their organic, community-based
processes and quietly tucked away into a niche again, the road forward is clear.
The narcissism of each age, believing we know best and forever being surprised by the return of the
old.
Skilful recovery coaching provides a pathway like little else. With so many resources available on a
scale unlike anything previous generations have had access to,
Why is there still such a vast need for peer support?
The answer is humans. The answer is a process of human development that has been
recorded since Ancient Greece, that of one with experience guiding one with less experience
through their 10 (thousand) labours.
