The Privilege to Mentor

By: Douglas Meron

I am a 47-year-old man living with schizoaffective disorder. My success story is built on consistently taking my psychiatric medications, maintaining a robust support system of family and friends, and utilizing numerous coping skills. Four years ago, I experienced my last bout of psychosis in a long-term psychiatric hospital. Since then, I have lived in recovery, learning that my tools can inspire others. Today, I work as a peer support specialist in the same hospital where I once was a resident.

For the past two and a half years, I have successfully worked as a peer support specialist. About three months ago, I was selected to mentor a peer support intern who had recently completed an extensive eighty-hour peer support class and needed eighty hours of hands-on work to graduate from the program. I decided to take on this role because passing on my knowledge would benefit not only myself and my mentoree but also the hospital staff and residents.

When I first met my mentoree, she observed how I used recovery language to communicate with residents. A significant part of my job involves using reflexive listening skills to validate residents’ experiences and help them learn independent and self-advocacy skills. We discussed the topic of resilience, and at the beginning of her internship, my mentoree—who had overcome a great deal of adversity—didn’t see herself as resilient.

After a week and a half of shadowing me, my mentoree began introducing herself to the residents. I often share my story of being a resident, moving to a step-down facility, and living independently in the community to inspire residents and show that recovery can lead to strength beyond their original setback. I worked with my mentoree for two and a half weeks to develop her story. After writing it, she realized how resilient she had been. Though initially timid about telling her story, she gained confidence by sharing it and seeing others relate to her experiences.

My mentoree watched as I led groups on recovery from mental health challenges. Toward the middle of the mentorship, she began leading recovery groups herself. We even co-led groups on resilience, where my mentoree solidified her understanding of resilience and helped others discover their own stories. She learned that self-advocacy was one of her strengths. She started opening up to the staff about her issues and continued to grow as a person. I introduced her to a productivity sheet I filled out called “Productive Day,” which includes a goal for the day, a to-do list, meal plans, and a gratitude section. My mentoree purchased a day planner and began organizing her day, allowing her to spend more time on recovery rather than lying in bed.

I witnessed the metamorphosis of my mentoree from a shy individual to a confident peer support specialist. After three months, she had her graduation party, wearing a cap and gown and embodying a woman with a new lease on life. By paying it forward, my mentoree could now pursue a career as a peer support specialist. One of the core concepts of being a peer support specialist is mutuality. As a mentor, I gained confidence, and my mentoree learned to identify her strengths and help others find theirs. Many residents struggle to identify their strengths after going through the mental health system, but I taught my mentoree to focus on what is strong instead of what is wrong.

I plan on advancing within the organization I work for. As a mentor, I learned management skills, particularly in giving constructive feedback. I would tell my mentoree what she did right, areas for improvement, and end with her strengths. It was exciting to see how her newfound confidence allowed her to receive feedback, and I became more adept at providing it. Although I studied Business Management in college, this was the first time I used my leadership skills in the workforce.