Abstract
Behavioral health peer support specialists, peers, are health care system employees with lived experience of mental health or substance use concerns who are trained and hired to support others with behavioral health concerns in behavioral health clinics and medical settings. Peer-delivered services have a long history and research consistently demonstrates evidence of varied benefits for a wide range of patients. Peers are increasingly being hired to work within primary care settings to support the needs of primary care patients with behavioral health concerns and enhance the interdisciplinary nature of integrated primary care teams. However, integration of peers into this new setting can be challenging for both the peers and the primary care teams. Both peers and primary care staff can be uncertain of how peers are intended to function within primary care teams, how they can help the clinic and patients, what challenges to expect when integrating peers, and how to best support full integration of peers. This narrative review aims to facilitate integration of peers in primary care by describing the current literature on (1) primary care peer roles and functions; (2) primary care peer-delivered interventions; (3) benefits of peers for primary care patients and clinics; and (4) integration challenges, enablers, and successful implementation strategies for peers in primary care. A hypothetical case example for a peer specialist at a VA Medical Center is used throughout the article to illustrate key concepts. Clinical and administrative implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Emily M.; Shook, Christina; Barrie, Kimberly; and Possemato, Kyle
(2025)
"Integrating Peer Specialists in Primary Care: Narrative Review with Illustrative Examples, and Pragmatic Recommendations to Support Implementation,"
The Journal of Integrated Primary Care: Vol. 2:
Iss.
3, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/jipc/vol2/iss3/1
