CONSUMERS AS MENTAL-HEALTH PROVIDERS - FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNTS OF BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS

Community support programs are increasingly establishing paid service positions designated exclusively for consumers. Project WINS (Work Inc entives and Needs Study), a hybrid case management-vocational program for individuals with severe mental illness, used consumers as peer sup port specialists (PSSs) to supplement professional roles. Semistructur ed interviews were conducted with PSSs about 12 months after their emp loyment ended. They identified substantial personal benefits specific to consumer-designated roles (e.g., a ''safe'' employment setting with accommodations) and general benefits from employment. Problems descri bed were just as numerous, encompassing attitudes toward assigned peer s and costs to their own well-being. Critical commentary addressed pro gram operations (structure, supervision, and training needs) and probl ems in the mental health system. The authors discuss the changed sense of self that service provider roles can create for consumers and sugg est that mental health administrators provide anticipatory socializati on for this service innovation throughout their agencies and ongoing s upports for consumers in their new roles.