Providing Peer Support

Being a Peer Support Partner to another RA Patient

The PARASS Patient-to-Patient Connection Program has a core group of experienced patients who serve as Peer Support Partners to other patients. All Peers receive training before being matched with a partner and are supported through monthly conference calls. These conference calls provide a forum for Peers to discuss what is going well, any issues that have arisen, and provide an opportunity for peers to build a relationship with each other.

Becoming a Peer Support Partner can provide you with

  • The satisfaction of helping a fellow patient feel more hopeful, less alone, and more positive about life.
  • Training sessions designed to help you with mentoring techniques, RA-related issues, additional resources available at BWH, and more.
  • An opportunity to be part of a community of like-minded people and to learn new ways of talking about RA with others.
  • A relationship that can end up being as rewarding for you as it is for the patient with whom you are matched.

In talking about their experiences, Peer Support Partners have commented:

  • “I can understand so well how she was afraid.”
  • “She talked about how she felt about having arthritis.”
  • “She had so much to tell me and I had so much to tell her.”
  • “Talking with my patient partner, I can reflect on how much I have learned about living with rheumatoid arthritis.”

To learn more about being a Peer Support Partner

click on the link to download the brochure. Peer Support Partner Information

To apply to become a Peer Support Partner,

click on the link to download the application  Peer Support Partner Application