Consumer Advisors and Peer Support

Programme Areas

Mental health

Programme Type

Peer / advocacy / group / family whānau support

Regions

Southland, West Coast

Age Groups

Adult / Pakeke

Referral Process

It can be complex to explain how referrals are made to Pact so please get in touch if you want to find out how to access our services. We’ll bend over backwards to help you. Even if you are not eligible for government-funded Pact support, we have other options, including paying for Pact services privately (see individually-funded services).

Description

Our mental health consumer advisors on the West Coast and Southland provide advocacy and peer support. Their job is to ensure consumers are involved at every level of Pact, have the chance to participate in activities and understand any new information.

We also provide leadership to mental health and addiction service providers from a service user’s perspective. We ensure all mental health services (not just Pact's) and addiction services are responsive to the needs of service users and that service users have input into service development.

This service might be for you, if you are:
•  An existing client of Pact’s mental health services
•  Mental health and/or addiction service provider

Pact West Coast’s peer support work service employs three peer support workers in Westport, Hokitika and Greymouth, all of whom have had experience of mental illness and can help others needing non-clinical support. People from all over the West Coast are referred to this service.

This service might be for you, if you are:
•  Are recovering from mental illness