“There are many small but highly impactful moments in recovery that can be hard to go through alone,” Degener says. “I’ll always remember an Equip peer mentor supporting a patient through sorting out some old clothes that they were having a difficult time parting with. The peer mentor could offer jokes or distraction when needed, hold space while the patient cried, or simply be there quietly as a gesture of support. Recovery can be so lonely and hard to describe at times. To just have someone to walk alongside you can be incredibly meaningful.”
Another beautiful part about mentorship is the mutually beneficial relationship it fosters. Degener, for example, credits her role as a mentor as having benefited her own long-term recovery. “I find it to be a healthy source of accountability,” she says. “I get to talk to individuals every day about the benefits of recovery and the value in challenging the eating disorder, and in that, I’m reaffirming those truths for myself, too. At its best, mentorship can be a wonderfully meaningful relationship for everyone involved.”
If you’re curious about mentorship, or looking to get peer support today, check out this guide as a first step. You can also visit Equip to learn more about their treatment approach that combines clinical expertise with unique insights only those with lived experience can provide.
This article was originally published on the Equip blog.