Abstract
Co-worker peer support is a critical component of unit cohesion and social support in high stress exposure teams and can mitigate stress-related symptoms.1 A primary advantage of co-worker peer support is that it is available when needed and provided by those who “get” the context of the stress experience. The effectiveness of peer support programs has begun to take hold, helping institutions address issues of shame and isolation among their healthcare workers.2 Following the COVID pandemic, we see even more calls for health systems, state boards, licensing bodies, and professional organizations to step up and prioritize clinician well-being.3
There are many peer support approaches used in health care and high-stress occupations.2,4 Peer support can range from consumers of mental health services to certified and trained crisis counselors. Peer support that uses Wisdom5and Stress First Aid6 approach is designed to leverage the core values of health workers, empowering them to help each other and including peers and co-workers within the sphere of those who may need help. In this context, a peer is any one with whom we have a longitudinal working relationship. Peers have the advantage of knowing each other’s baseline coping skills, and they often understand the constellation of work and life stressors that may be pressing on a peer. A peer truly understands the effort and challenges of doing the work and often has a wisdom gained over years of experience. A peer is in the best position to advocate for resilience strategies in the workplace, can see a stress injury and provide stress first aid, and knows what the trusted resources are within an organization. A peer support champion role is more than a good friend at work.
Trained peer support champions are a critical component of creating healthy work environments.7 The recruitment, development, training, and ongoing support of Peer Support Champions requires evidenced-based strategies, that integrate knowledge and skills to:
- To foster peer support strategies within their work teams that include wisdom practices and Stress First Aid
- Recognize when a system issue is causing unnecessary stress
- Assist their team members build resiliency and engage with organizational and other well-being resources
- Assist team members with signs of stress injury and who are in distress
Notes
1. Brailey, K., Vasterling, J. J., Proctor, S. P., Constans, J. I., & Friedman, M. J. (2007). PTSD symptoms, life events, and unit cohesion in U.S. soldiers: baseline findings from the neurocognition deployment health study. Journal of traumatic stress, 20(4), 495–503. https://doi-org.proxy01.its.virginia.edu/10.1002/jts.20234
2. Shapiro, J. & Galowitz, P. (2016). Peer support for clinicians: A programmatic approach. Academic Medicine, 91(9): 1200-1204.
3. Feist, J., C. Feist, and P. Cipriano. 2020. Stigma Com- pounds the Consequences of Health worker Burnout During COVID-19: A Call to Action to Break the Culture of Silence. NAM Perspectives. Commentary, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC. https://doi. Org/10.31478/202008b
4. Shalaby, R., & Agyapong, V. (2020). Peer Support in Mental Health: Literature Review. JMIR mental health, 7(6), e15572. https://doi.org/10.2196/15572
5. Plews-Ogan, M., Bell, T.D., Townsend, G. Canterbury, R.J., & Wilkes, D.S. (2020). Acting wisely: Eliminating negative bias in medical education – Part 1: The fundamentals. Academic Medicine, 95(12):S11-15.
6. Watson, P. J., & Westphal, R. J. (2020). Stress First Aid for Health Care Workers. U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs. National Center for PTSD. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349537736_Stress_First_Aid_for_Health_Care_Workers_Manual_2020
7. Bellehsen, M. H., Cook, H. M., Shaam, P., Burns, D., D'Amico, P., Goldberg, A., McManus, M. B., Sapra, M., Thomas, L., Wacha-Montes, A., Zenzerovich, G., Watson, P., Westphal, R. J., & Schwartz, R. M. (2024). Adapting the Stress First Aid Model for Frontline Healthcare Workers during COVID-19. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020171
Sigma Membership
Beta Kappa
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Stress/coping, Workforce, Interprofessional, Interdisciplinary
Recommended Citation
Westphal, Richard J., "Peer Champions for Team Well-Being" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 19.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/19
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Peer Champions for Team Well-Being
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Co-worker peer support is a critical component of unit cohesion and social support in high stress exposure teams and can mitigate stress-related symptoms.1 A primary advantage of co-worker peer support is that it is available when needed and provided by those who “get” the context of the stress experience. The effectiveness of peer support programs has begun to take hold, helping institutions address issues of shame and isolation among their healthcare workers.2 Following the COVID pandemic, we see even more calls for health systems, state boards, licensing bodies, and professional organizations to step up and prioritize clinician well-being.3
There are many peer support approaches used in health care and high-stress occupations.2,4 Peer support can range from consumers of mental health services to certified and trained crisis counselors. Peer support that uses Wisdom5and Stress First Aid6 approach is designed to leverage the core values of health workers, empowering them to help each other and including peers and co-workers within the sphere of those who may need help. In this context, a peer is any one with whom we have a longitudinal working relationship. Peers have the advantage of knowing each other’s baseline coping skills, and they often understand the constellation of work and life stressors that may be pressing on a peer. A peer truly understands the effort and challenges of doing the work and often has a wisdom gained over years of experience. A peer is in the best position to advocate for resilience strategies in the workplace, can see a stress injury and provide stress first aid, and knows what the trusted resources are within an organization. A peer support champion role is more than a good friend at work.
Trained peer support champions are a critical component of creating healthy work environments.7 The recruitment, development, training, and ongoing support of Peer Support Champions requires evidenced-based strategies, that integrate knowledge and skills to:
- To foster peer support strategies within their work teams that include wisdom practices and Stress First Aid
- Recognize when a system issue is causing unnecessary stress
- Assist their team members build resiliency and engage with organizational and other well-being resources
- Assist team members with signs of stress injury and who are in distress
Description
Peer Champion recruitment, development, training, and ongoing support are used to create healthy work environments for units and work centers. The use of Wisdom and Stress First Aid frameworks form the foundation and tools that are customized for each team while enhancing well-being throughout the organization.