answers to common questions, get in touch, share feedback, and more.
frequently asked questions
seeking support FAQ
our peer supporters provide emotional support, teach skills, and share their knowledge and own experiences with mental health. they have a wide variety of backgrounds, identities and experiences. many are students, or recent graduates.
all of our peer supporters have experience of mental health challenges and are in recovery. they are trained and certified for mental health peer support, and paid for their work. their training meets national standards. (learn more about becoming a peer supporter with peers.net.)
we are currently providing service to people between the age of 18 and 30. we’re working on expanding to more ages in the future.
we respect the dignity and pride of each individual we serve. we do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression, disability, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, national origin, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.
supporters are able to set their own schedule for support sessions, so individual supporter hours will vary. you can see their availability on their profile page. you can also search for the next available appointment.
peer support sessions are $65 per session. if you don't love your session, we'll send your money back - no questions asked
we do not currently accept insurance but we are working to accept both private insurance and medicaid in future. we’ll keep you updated on our progress.
try it! find a supporter via our directory. you can book sessions with multiple supporters to try them out. or our team can help you find the right supporter with our matching service.
peers.net has been developed and co-designed with college students. we’re giving early access to students who want to actively give us feedback to improve the service. feedback and ideas to improve our service are always welcome. like many of us, peers.net is a work in progress, and this is your chance to make it better.
if you have any feedback about our website or service, please
peer supporters provide emotional support, teach skills, and share their knowledge and own experiences with mental health.
peer supporters believe that recovery is possible for everyone. our peer supporters are available to share their lived experiences of successful mental health recovery and hope. recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential. recovery is an ongoing process. to learn more about recovery, check out samhsa’s working definition of recovery.
peer supporters are not here to judge. they will come to sessions with open minds and have your best interest at heart.
peer supporters are not responsible for making decisions for you, but they can help you make decisions for yourself by helping you identify your goals and strategies for achieving them. peer supporters can also help locate information so you can make an informed decision about your own care.
peer supporters do not have a clinical background. they are not able to diagnose any mental or physical health conditions, treat any mental or physical health conditions, or give medical advice of any kind.
peer supporters cannot prescribe medication; please contact your primary care physician if you think you might need medication. your peer supporters will never tell you whether or not you should be taking medication. we believe that everyone knows their body best, and we want you to make the right choices for yourself.
peer supporters are not therapists, so they will not provide psychosocial evaluations or host therapy groups.
at peers.net we believe in collaborative mental health care, and will never discourage you from seeking out a therapist’s or psychiatrist’s expertise. one of our values is that you don’t need to find “the one”. we encourage you to build a village of support around you so that you can flourish.
peer supporters will not compromise their boundaries for you. peer supporters have clear boundaries. they are mandatory reporters (see below), professionals, and have a code of ethics that they are expected to follow.
peer supporters are not on-call crisis support resources. they can help in crisis intervention by creating a crisis safety plan, but should not be depended on to handle or respond to all crisis situations. if you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
peer supporters must report disclosures of suspected abuse or neglect of minors, elders, and dependent adults to the appropriate authorities. this means that the peer supporter must fill out a report if they think someone is in danger. this report will detail the situation and will be sent to their supervisor.
you can see a peer supporter’s availability and book a session on their profile page. When they accept the appointment, we send you a confirmation email with the video link. before your first session you need to enter your credit card info and fill in some forms on the my.peers.net portal.
when you’re ready to do your session, just click on the videolink in the email or calendar entry. If you’re doing your session on your mobile, we recommend downloading SimplePractice’s client app.
yes, you can cancel your peer support session. please remember to cancel 24 hours in advance. you will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours. if you are late for a session, you will lose some of that session time.
our peer supporters may need to cancel or change your session. in that case they will try to contact you and ask you to book a new session. if you are experiencing difficulties with booking another appointment, please contact us.
our peer support is all virtual via secure video sessions. if you see your peer supporter accidentally outside of these sessions, they will not acknowledge you first in order to protect your privacy and confidentiality. however, if you acknowledge your peer supporter first, our peer supporters will be more than happy to speak briefly with you, but won’t engage in any lengthy discussions in public or outside of scheduled visits.
due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, peer supporters do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former seekers on any social media sites (instagram, tiktok, linkedin, etc). we believe that supporters adding you as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. it may also blur the boundaries of the peer support relationship. if you have questions about this, don’t hesitate to bring them up with your peer supporter.
to protect your privacy and confidentiality, we do not allow friends and family to give formal peer support. if you see a friend or family member on our platform, please don’t schedule a session with them.
if you need to contact your peer supporter between sessions, please send a secure message via my.peers.net, our client portal. they will attempt to respond to your secure message within 48 hours. we cannot guarantee immediate response. do not use these methods of communication to discuss urgent matters and/or request assistance for emergencies.
if you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
offering support FAQ
nope! if you are a trained peer supporter, you may begin to work once we have oriented you to peers.net.
we cover the cost of the training (a $800-$1,600 value). You will get paid once you begin , but we won’t pay you for your time until you start your job with us. we do pay you for continuing education sessions and supervision hours while you work with us.
all of our peer supporters receive regular support and feedback from experienced peer leaders in both group and individual settings. you have immediate backup should you need help during or after a support session! we provide opportunities to build your skills and get to know a network of peer supporters.
individuals seeking peer support will be able to sign up for an appointment with you when they view your profile on peers.net. most often support seekers choose peer supporters based on overlapping interests, life experiences or identity.
peer support specialist training by flourish labs will be given a certificate of completion by flourish labs.
our peer support training meets SAMHSA’s national model standards, and we are working to get the curriculum certified in several states. as such, this may require the peer to take a test or participate in another process to get certification in a specific state, depending on that state’s requirements.
not yet, but we are working on it!
not yet, but we are working with the state of Oregon towards this end.
not yet, but we are working with the state of california towards this end.
no, they don’t.
peer support specialist training by flourish labs is an 80 hour, mostly asynchronous program. this is spread across 8 weeks of time, with a suggested pacing method. while most of the learning portions are asynchronous, there will be weekly 60-90 minute synchronous sessions conducted over a live webinar as well as 5 practice/practical hours booked with an experienced PSS.
the training provides participants with a comprehensive introduction to peer work and includes a variety of support methods that center on the lived experiences of the peer. training topics include (but are not limited to): active listening skills, strength-based counseling and motivational interviewing, ethics and boundaries, trauma-informed care, suicide and crisis response, domestic violence, sexual assault, confidentiality, and mandatory reporting.
additionally, our comprehensive training program includes at least 5 practice/practical hours which are reviewed by supervisors for feedback.
a contract position means flourish labs will provide you with a 1099 tax form instead of a W2. it means that you will not be an employee of flourish labs, but a contractor of. you will still receive an offer letter, but it will be a contract offer.
generally speaking, you will be on-boarded onto our platform within 2 weeks of training completion. at that time, you will set your availability and seekers can book sessions with you based on that availability.
you are paid for time worked. sessions are booked for 50 minutes and you're compensated for 1 hour of time. additionally, there are mandatory monthly 1:1 peer supervision sessions (either 1x60 minute session or 2x30 minute sessions) with a peer support supervisor and group supervisions that are also paid at the hourly rate. you are paid on the first day of each month.
certification is required/mandated by both flourish labs and each state but is unpaid. flourish labs does however provide the training to our peer supporters free of charge. training is our investment in you and it can be carried with you for your career. you can list it on your resume and utilize it in the future should you wish to continue peer support with us or elsewhere. there are several onboarding sessions post-certification, as well as ongoing 1:1 and group supervision sessions with a peer supervisor that are also paid at the hourly rate. the cost for attending a similar training program ranges in the us on average from $500-$1,500.
to be considered for a peers.net PSS position, an applicant must submit an application form and resume, complete a free peer support session on our platform, complete a short 15 minute recorded asynchronous video interview, and if flourish labs chooses to move forward with your application, an applicant will be invited to complete a follow-up 1:1 interview with a team member.
yes. flourish labs will send you an email requesting your consent to run a background check at the same time that we issue a contract offer. your offer is contingent on passing the background check. the cost of the background check is paid for by flourish labs.
the head of peer support is ally linfoot, facilitating 1:1 and group supervision. our peers.net trainer is lena jackson, managing and facilitating all synchronous training sessions, grading, and onboarding. clare stanfield is our lead peer support specialist, facilitating group supervision and peer supporter community building.
our current peer support hours of operation are monday - friday 9:00am - 9:00pm pst. we will be expanding our peer support hours of operation to include later hours in the evening and weekends in the coming weeks.
as a peer supporter, you can also access our crisis service partner from 9am to midnight PST if needed.
this is considered a long-term, on-going contract position and not seasonal. you may stay active on the platform for as long as you wish, as long as you stay up to date with certifications/credentials. should you need to take a break from providing peer support on our platform, simply let us know you need to take a leave of absence.
we require a commitment of at least 5 hours per week of open appointment slots. peer support is a skill that develops over time, and maintaining this skill happens with practice. because of that, our minimum hours worked per week is 5.
we do have several positions we're hiring for which can be found here: https://flourishlabs.com/careers/
we hold peers.net peer support specialist training sessions on an ongoing basis. below, you can find our annual training schedule.
peers.net by flourish labs provides training quarterly throughout the year.
q1:
applications open: january 8, 2024
registration starts: february 12, 2024
course kickoff: february 19, 2024
q2:
applications open: march 4, 2024
registration starts: april 8, 2024
course kickoff: april 15, 2024
q3:
applications open: june 3, 2024
registration starts: july 8, 2024
course kickoff: july 15, 2024
q4:
applications open: september 2, 2024
registration starts: october 7, 2024
course kickoff: october 14, 2024
gift card FAQ
after you’ve paid, the recipient will receive an email from hello@peers.net containing a unique link tied to their gift card. They’ll use the link to navigate to peers.net, browse supporters, and find someone that works for them. their discount will automatically apply, allowing them to book a session with this supporter, free of charge.
yes! the recipient will be directed to peers.net and will be able navigate the website and browse our entire list of supporters to find the right match for them. they can book a session with whoever they want!
we’ll send you an email once the recipient has used all their sessions, so you know when to buy another package!
weekday hours: 10am–5pm pt
weekend hours: closed