The impact of life story work during peer worker training: Identity reconstruction, social connection, and recovery

Agergaard Jensen, Rikke Amalie; Lehn Brand, Signe; Holm, Tine; Slade, Mike; Kirkegaard Thomsen, Dorthe

Abstract

Objective: Personal recovery has become a guiding vision in mental health care, and peer workers play a key role in assisting individuals on their recovery journey. As a component of training to prepare for this role, peer workers need to engage with their own life story, in order to support recovery in both them and in the service users they will assist. The purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of life story work on peer workers. Method: Fifteen individuals training to be peer workers were interviewed to explore the impact of telling and listening to life stories. Reflexive thematic analysis involving two analysts was conducted. Results: Three main themes were identified: (a) life story work as identity reconstruction, (b) social connection through life story sharing, and (c) negative impacts of engaging with life stories in peer worker training. Each theme was connected to a number of subthemes. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Life story work can both facilitate personal recovery in peer workers during their training and aid them in utilizing their stories in their future peer worker roles. Training needs to prepare peer workers to deal with the future role-related challenges of life story work.

Citation

Agergaard Jensen, R. A., Lehn Brand, S., Holm, T., Slade, M., & Kirkegaard Thomsen, D. (2025). The impact of life story work during peer worker training: Identity reconstruction, social connection, and recovery. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 48(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000639

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 6, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Feb 13, 2025
• Publication Date: Feb 13, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 14, 2026
• Journal: Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
• Print ISSN: 1095-158X
• Electronic ISSN: 1559-3126
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 13-22
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000639
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/43953258
• Publisher URL: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fprj0000639