Passport to Wellness Intervention: Selecting and Training Peer Mentors and Their Reflections on Supporting to Black Sexual Minority Men’s Social and Health Needs

We designed Passport to Wellness (PtW) to promote HIV/STI testing and prevention while addressing social determinants of health among Black sexual minority men (SMM). Over the course of a pilot study and small randomized controlled trial of PtW, we recruited and trained 10 Black SMM who implemented the intervention's Peer Mentor component. We describe here the Mentors training and supervision, and how they articulated their strategies for participant engagement and their. Data stem from qualitative interviews that we thematically analyzed using a codebook approach. The Mentors described promoting trust and accountability while offering participants flexibility, encouragement, and support. Together with other intervention components and the Peer Mentor training, Mentors' skills in building trust, laying groundwork for mutual accountability, accommodating mentees' limitations, and providing appropriate support fostered effective interactions. Identifying individuals with lived experience who can embody these traits with the appropriate training and support may improve the effectiveness of prevention-focused peer interventions.