title: [Peers contribution to mental health work: considerations on the relationship between formal and informal help. A case study in a mental health facility in Buenos Aires].
abstract: Including peers to the mental health workforce has been part of a larger debate regarding specificity and incumbencies of peers' work, as well as their relationship with other workers. While some members of the workforce are proposing to train peers to have them help in different settings and interventions, others see them as unfair and underprepared competitors trying to replace them. Based on this debate, and from a Collective Health perspective on the concept of "care", this paper supports the idea that, since they put "care" as central to anything done by the mental health workforce, peers could be crucial to practices in Mental Health. An experience that took place in a Day Hospital in Buenos Aires City, conversed within a group dedicated to reflect on peers' support, is analyzed in order to unveil the relationship between peers and professionals, as well as peers' specificity. It is withstand that one of the main contributions of including peers is to help professionals think more about the relational dimension of their work and about the way they treat, call and refer to patients.
authors: Cátedra II Salud Pública/Salud Mental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Buenos Aires. saraardi@gmail.com.
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Ardila Gómez
authors: Martín
authors: M
authors: Agrest
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Abadi
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Cáceres
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010379:Peer Group; D014504:Urban Health