Provider defines role of peers as equal contributors to team

Long before peer services started to become a credentialed and reimbursable role in mental health treatment, leaders at CPC Integrated Health in New Jersey understood the impact of the presence of people with lived experience on their staff. A driver or an administrative assistant with a treatment history often was the person most able to help a new patient overcome memories of poor treatment experiences, or to calm a patient's fears over initiating a new medication.