Practicing Self-Care and Community Care (Core Competencies: 1.3; 1.4; 1.6; 1.10; 2.5; 2.9; 3.5; 3.7; 4.1; 4.2; 4.3; 4.11; 4.12; 4.16; 4.17) For certified peer specialists, self-care and community care help cultivate the ability to bring one’s full presence and strengths to peer relationships in order to deliver highly effective professional services. Self-care and community care is a skill. Like any skill, develops through an ongoing learning process of self-reflection and engagement in community. Part of practicing is developing awareness of both self and others through listening, identifying feelings, and considering needs and unmet needs. Exploring the importance of both self-care and community care Certified peer specialists have long advocated for strengthening self-care in peer support work. All people benefit from taking responsibility for their own well-being in a variety of ways. Self-care can both feel pleasurable and like difficult work, as it is composed of a variety of components as diverse as people. Though self-care is important, the exclusive focus put on the importance of self-care has also contributed to feelings of isolation for certified peer specialists and a sense of alienation for those who are rooted in more collectivist cultures. Self-care alone tends to place the sole responsibility for one’s well-being and resilience on the individual. Oftentimes, self-care is talked about in terms of activities, especially feel-good activities that can be part of the work of self-care. This approach ignores that much of what is described as self-care requires effort, time, and resources. In this context, it is also important to validate that self-care can even feel burdensome. On top of that, many people who are systemically marginalized face barriers to traditional self-care approaches. Many are busy caring for others. People experiencing poverty may not have the resources to participate in self- care rituals. Those working multiple jobs don’t have as much time available. Systemically marginalized communities are inundated with work, news, trauma, and activism. For these reasons, when we consider the central focus and value of full community participation for those with lived experience in peer support history, a shift to community care in certified peer specialist practice becomes necessary. Recovery and meaningful living happen in the context of community. For this reason, the following sections and activities will explore community care, and introduce a variety of skills and practices important for the peer support work ahead. Importance of community Community care recognizes that we don’t all have equal access to time and money, which are the main resources required for care. It reminds us that as human beings, are interdependent. The third level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is “a sense of belonging and love.” We have a psychological need for intimate relationships and, for many of us, we depend on those relationships to meet our physiological needs. If
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