KANSAS CITY, KAN. Susan Haynes used to have panic attacks seven times a day.
Sometimes, she would fall out of her chair. Sometimes, she would stop breathing.
I could just fall down, just collapse and look like I was having a seizure or stroke, she said. It was pretty scary.
For years, Haynes has struggled with the effects of trauma from a divorce, childhood abuse and a death in the family. She has taken medication and tried therapy to manage her debilitating anxiety.
Last April, she tried something different.
Haynes started seeing a peer support specialist a layperson diagnosed with a mental illness who counsels others going through the same challenges.
Like therapists, certified peer support specialists charge an hourly rate. But unlike a professional, they dont have licenses or degrees in medicine, social work or psychology.
Instead, peers offer a more casual connection earned through experience. Proponents say its an opportunity for people to gain a sense of purpose and modest income by helping others.
It also offers a sense of community and social support that an overburdened mental health system cant provide.
Haynes began seeing Sheri Hall, a Kansas City-based poet, about once a week. They connected through Poetry for Personal Power, a nonprofit group based in Kansas City, Kansas.
The two bonded over their shared Christian faith and their love of writing. Hall gave her advice on job interviews, reminded her to write notes when she had trouble remembering things and stopped her when she put herself down.
The approach is more personal than one therapists could provide.
I walk side-by-side with my peer, Hall said. Ive been there, and so I am going to link arms with you.
Hall says she went through a breakdown when she was pregnant with her first child and working to support her family. She was diagnosed with anxiety and sought the help of a Christian therapist, but didnt want to start taking medication.
She became a peer support specialist in Kansas and Missouri so she could help people in a way that doctors and therapists couldnt. Hall says her relationship with Haynes is less formal and more mutual.
