Guidance to help you apply for peer support roles and to present your lived experience, reflective practice and values clearly and authentically.

Visit our peer support workers page for more information on the types of role available.

1. What a strong application should show

  • Reflective practice: A thoughtful written application that shows insight, learning and an understanding of the value of using lived experience. 
  • A recovery journey: Clear reference to mental health challenges and/or learning disabilities and your journey towards wellbeing. This does not need to involve formal health and care services.

2. What you should gain from this guide 

  • Feel confident drawing on your own experiences to complete the application. 
  • Understand that the role is for people on a mental health recovery journey, who have developed ways to manage their own wellbeing and can use their experiences to support others.
  • Know what to expect from the two-stage interview process. 
  • Have ideas for answering interview questions with relevant, safe and purposeful examples from your lived experience.

3. Who we are looking for

Each quality below links to a part of the personal statement. You should use specific examples and explain what you learned, not simply state that you have a skill. 

Lived experience and recovery

We are looking for: Someone who has experienced mental health challenges and can reflect on their recovery journey in a way that offers hope to others. 

  • Why are you applying for the post? 
  • What experiences - through services, community support or elsewhere - have shaped your recovery? 
  • What helped, what did not help, and what did you learn? 
  • How has this influenced your wish to support others? 

Share safely: You do not need to name a service, diagnosis or disclose personal details. The focus should be on the impact of the experience, the learning gained and how it informs support for others. 

Empathy, resilience and boundaries 

We are looking for: Someone who can connect with people, manage challenging situations professionally and offer support while maintaining healthy boundaries. 

  • Give an example of building a relationship or communicating effectively. 
  • Show a boundary in practice - for example, working with someone rather than doing things for them. 
  • Explain how you share your story safely, helpfully and with purpose. 
  • Describe a difficult situation or difference of opinion, and how you worked towards a constructive outcome. 
Reflective practice 

We are looking for: Someone who is open to supervision and can learn from experience, feedback and reflection. 

  • How do you reflect - through supervision, journalling, planning or conversations with peers? 
  • Describe a time you tried an approach to a challenge in life, reflected on the outcome and changed what you did. 
  • What have positive and difficult experiences taught you? 
  • How will that learning influence the way you support others and protect your own wellbeing? 
Teamwork and collaboration 

We are looking for: Someone who can work collaboratively with colleagues, service users and groups.

  • Use an example from employment, volunteering, education, a community group or a sports team.
  • Explain your role, how you collaborated and what the group achieved.
  • Experience of peer support or recovery groups is useful, but it is not essential.

4. What the role involves 

Support recovery 

Using lived experience to offer emotional and practical support, helping people identify and work towards their own goals. 

How to evidence this: Describe direct peer support experience or explain how you worked towards one of your own recovery goals and how that learning could help you support someone else.

Build connections 

Offer empathy and companionship in one-to-one and group settings, helping people feel less isolated and more empowered. 

How to evidence this: Reflect on the impact of isolation, the value of community, and any groups you have joined or helped to facilitate. Show active listening, curious questions and a willingness to give people space to find their own answers. 

Share self-management tools 

Draw on the approaches you use to manage your own wellbeing and share them in a hopeful, strengths-based way. 

How to evidence this: Give specific, authentic examples - such as exercise, meditation, routines or personal strategies. Explain what helps, why it helps and how you recognise when to use it. 

Be a role model and advocate 

Inspire belief in recovery by modelling wellbeing and bringing a confident lived experience voice to the team.

How to evidence this: Share a success story that shows how you reached the point of applying. This could include volunteering, support from a mental health team, advocacy work or a commitment to improving services. Explain why helping others matters to you. 

5. Important information for applicants 

  • Career breaks: Periods away from work are understood and will not count against you.
  • References: Character references may be accepted where employment references may not be available. 
  • Sponsorship: Sponsorship cannot be offered. 
  • Flexible working: This is open to discussion. 
  • Using AI: AI can help with structure, but generic wording may weaken an application. The statement should sound authentic and reflect your own experiences and learning. 
  • Personal statement: A strong reflective statement may be more relevant than a traditional career or education history. 

6. Interview stages 

There are two interview stages, group and one-to-one. You will be invited to both stages. 

The group interview is an opportunity to demonstrate teamwork, communication and time management while applying lived experience to NHS-based scenarios. 

The one-to-one interview is when you will be asked specific questions relevant to the role and be able to share your experiences independently. 

Your safety matters: Sharing lived experience with unfamiliar people can feel daunting. Use your judgement about what feels safe to share. You are not expected to disclose triggering or traumatic details. 

7. Key takeaways 

  • Research peer support and show that you understand its values. 
  • Use clear examples of reflective practice and explain how lived experience has shaped you. 
  • Be authentic: tell us what you learned and how it could help someone else. 
  • Use real examples rather than broad statements. 
  • Remember: your lived experience is a form of expertise.