title: Participants' employment status and experiences in the year after the Experienced Involvement training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peer support workers (PSWs) are an emerging workforce within the Swiss mental health system. The 'Experienced Involvement' (EX-IN) training programmes prepare and certify individuals who have experienced mental health problems to work as PSWs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the influence of EX-IN training on participants' employment status and their experiences in the year after training.
  
  
  METHODS
  We employed quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were collected at baseline, immediately after completion and at 1 year post-training. Additionally, individual narrative interviews were conducted with 10 participants at 1 year post-training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 1 year of completion, the majority of participants were in paid employment. Difficulties included unclear PSW roles. The qualitative analyses revealed the following categories: 'Evolving from the patient role despite experiencing effects or consequences of mental illness', 'Feeling welcome and being confronted with conflicting expectations', 'Helping others while being needy at the same time' and 'Doing something worthwhile and the fear of failure'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clear role descriptions, well-defined expectations, team preparation, acknowledgement of vulnerabilities and institution-level support PSWs are important to safeguard both PSWs and service users by minimising the destabilisation risk. Future EX-IN training graduates can benefit from the establishment of remunerated PSW roles in psychiatric services.
authors.affiliation: Nursing & Social Education Research Unit, University Bern Psychiatric Services, Bern, Switzerland International Graduate Academy (InGrA), 'Participation as Goal of Nursing and Therapy', Institute of Health and Nursing Sciences, Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany anna.hegedues@gef.be.ch.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hegedüs
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Services Baselland, Liestal, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.affiliation: Development & Research Unit, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Steinauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008603:Mental Health / Q000193:education; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
keywords: Peer support worker; employment; experience; mental health; training