Work

Applying lessons learned from public health crises to expand peer support specialists in youth mental health services

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: COVID-19 exposed issues in our mental health system, prompting an emergency advisory from the Surgeon General on youth mental health. This Comment offers two lessons drawn from empirically supported aspects of a public health model to guide a transformation of youth mental health services: (1) the importance of recruiting local community members (peer support specialists [PSSs]) with lived experiences to promote engagement in services and (2) the necessity of expanding services to natural settings to enhance access and uptake. Examples of service models applying these lessons and illustrating how they are interrelated are provided. These initiatives are overdue in response to persistent disparities and the need to provide services across the prevention to intervention continuum.

Source: npj Mental Health Research

DOI: 10.1038/s44184-025-00170-6

Authors: Tara G. Mehta, Marc S. Atkins, Erika L. Gustafson, Dana Rusch, Jennifer Watling Neal

Institutions: University of Illinois Chicago, Michigan State University

Language: English

Topic: Mental Health and Patient Involvement

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,390