【蘭德】圖書館支持社區(qū)心理健康-實施循證方法的工具包-2025.6

TOOLKIT

SupportingCommunity

MentalHealth

inLibraries

AToolkitforImplementingEvidence-BasedApproaches

AMYL.SHEARER|IVYTODD|KARENCHRISTIANSON|YOSELiNMAYORAL|LOGANDICK

RAJEEVRAMCHAND|SANDRASMITH|TA,KISHAMOORE|LYNSAYAYER

V

HOPE

Formoreinformationonthispublication,visit

/t/TLA3597-1.

AboutRAND

RANDisaresearchorganizationthatdevelopssolutionstopublicpolicychallengestohelpmakecommunitiesthroughouttheworldsaferandmoresecure,healthierandmoreprosperous.RANDisnonprofit,nonpartisan,andcommittedtothepublicinterest.TolearnmoreaboutRAND,visit

.

ResearchIntegrity

Ourmissiontohelpimprovepolicyanddecisionmakingthroughresearchandanalysisisenabledthroughourcorevaluesofqualityandobjectivityandourunwaveringcommitmenttothehighestlevelofintegrityandethicalbehavior.Tohelpensureourresearchandanalysisarerigorous,objective,andnonpartisan,wesubjectourresearchpublicationstoarobustandexactingquality-assuranceprocess;avoidboththeappearanceandrealityoffinancialandotherconflictsofinterestthroughstafftraining,projectscreening,andapolicyofmandatorydisclosure;andpursuetransparencyinourresearchengagementsthroughourcommitmenttotheopenpublicationofourresearchfindingsandrecommendations,disclosureofthesourceoffundingofpublishedresearch,andpoliciestoensureintellectualindependence.Formoreinformation,visit

/about/research-integrity.

RAND’spublicationsdonotnecessarilyreflecttheopinionsofitsresearchclientsandsponsors.

PublishedbytheRANDCorporation,SantaMonica,Calif.

?2025St.David’sFoundation

RANDisaregisteredtrademark.

PhotoCredits

Photos:Bookshelf—LizMoskowitz,butterflylinedrawing—OlgaRai/AdobeStock;pp.iii,vi,2,5,6,15,24,42,52,58:LizMoskowitz;p.13:DMP/GettyImages;p.34:SDIProductions/GettyImages;p.18:golero/GettyImages.Illustrations:pp.v,59:MDOMARFARUK/GettyImages;pp.1,25,53:OlgaRai/AdobeStock;pp.7,35:OlenaKovrigo/GettyImages;pp.19,43:SviatlanaHerasimenka/GettyImages;p.47:TetianaGarkusha/GettyImages.Icons:implementation:sdecoret/AdobeStock;checklist:sdecoret/AdobeStock;tips:sdecoret/AdobeStock;worksheet:sdecoret/AdobeStock.

“TheLibrariesforHealthprogramis

bringingthementalhealthaccesstowhere

thepeoplearealreadygathered,where

theyarealreadylookingforresources,

andexploringservices.Thatplace

isthepubliclibrary.Itisacommunity

serviceinstitutionbyallmeans.”

S·IDavid's

FOUNDATION

AboutThisToolkit

Thistoolkitprovidesinstructions,ideas,andguidancetolibrariesthatareinterestedinadoptingmental

healthsupportsintotheirsettings.ItlargelydrawsonlessonslearnedfromLibrariesforHealth(L4H),

apilotprogramfundedbySt.David’sFoundation(SDF)inwhichtenlibrariesinruralcentralTexasworkedtoembedmentalhealthsupportsintheircommunitiesbytargetingadultpatrons.InJanuary2022,SDF

contractedRANDtocodesign,coordinate,andevaluatetheprogramalongwithViaHope,acentralTexas–basednonprofitthatprovidespeertrainingsupportandoverseestheimplementationofL4H.Findings

fromtheevaluationwillbepublishedinsummer2025.

Thetoolkitisdesignedtohelplibrariansidentifyandimplementmentalhealthsupportswithinthelibrarytosupporttheirpatrons’mentalwell-being.Thetoolkitstartswithadescriptionoftherationalefor

incorporatingmentalhealthsupportsinlibraries(Chapter1)andasummaryofhowlibrariesapproachedthisintheL4Hpilot(Chapter2).Theremainderofthetoolkitisintendedtohelpguidelibrariansthroughthestepsofsuccessfullyaddingnewmentalhealthsupportswithintheirlibraryenvironments.The

developmentofthistoolkitwassponsoredbySDF.

CommunityHealthandEnvironmentalPolicyProgram

RANDSocialandEconomicWell-BeingisadivisionofRANDthatseekstoactivelyimprovethehealthandsocialandeconomicwell-beingofpopulationsandcommunitiesthroughouttheworld.ThisresearchwasconductedintheCommunityHealthandEnvironmentalPolicyProgramwithinRANDSocialandEconomic

Well-Being.Theprogramfocusesonsuchtopicsasinfrastructure,scienceandtechnology,industrial

policy,communitydesign,communityhealthpromotion,migrationandpopulationdynamics,transportation,energy,andclimateandtheenvironment,aswellasotherpolicyconcernsthatareinfluencedbythe

naturalandbuiltenvironment,technology,andcommunityorganizationsandinstitutionsthataffectwell-being.Formoreinformation,email

chep@.

Acknowledgments

Wearegratefultothelibrarydirectors,librarystaff,andpeerspecialistswhoparticipatedinL4Hand

sharedtheirexperienceswithus,particularlythosewhoprovidedearlyfeedbackonthistoolkitduringtheNovember2024L4Hconvening.WearegratefultoSDFformakingL4Hpossible,especiallyAbenaAsante,wholedthedevelopmentandimplementationoftheL4Hprogramandwhoseeffortsmadethisproject

possible.WealsothankSDFteammembersEmilyBurgessandJesseSimmonsfortheirinsightsand

partnershipthroughout.WethankChristinaCarneyofViaHopeforherpartnershipandcommitmenttotheL4Hproject.WealsothanktheTockerFoundationforitsguidanceintheearlydevelopmentofL4H,

Kathryn(Kit)MatthewofAEAConsulting,andthemembersoftheLibraryAdvisoryBoardforsharingtheirexpertiseandguidancethroughout.ThistoolkitwassubstantiallyimprovedafterintegratingthethoughtfulfeedbackfromMoniqueMartineau(RAND)andourtwoqualityassurancereviewers,EuniceWong(RAND)andMelindaHodges(librarydirectorattheBudaPublicLibrary,anL4H-participatinglibrary).

CONTENTS

AboutThisToolkit iv

Chapter1|Introduction 1

EmbeddingMentalHealthSupportsinLibraries 1

HowtoUseThisToolkit 3

Chapter2|LibrariesforHealthComponents 7

PeerSupportinLibraries 7

MentalHealthProgrammingandActivities 12

ExternalPartnershipsandResources 16

Chapter3|ReadinessandCapacityforLibrariesforHealth 19

AssessReadiness 19

CheckCapacityforImplementation 20

PlantoBuildReadinessandCapacity 22

Chapter4|CommunityNeedsandGoalSetting 25

IdentifyandPrioritizeCommunityNeedsandResources 26

SetGoalsforProgramming 30

Chapter5|PeerSpecialistandActivitySelection 35

FindingaPeerSpecialist 36

SelectingMentalHealthActivities 38

AssessingFit 41

Chapter6|PrepareandLaunch 43

CreatingaWorkPlan 43

BuildingPartnerships 46

FundingPeerSupportandMentalHealthActivities 48

Launching 50

Chapter7|ImprovementsandSustainability 53

ImprovingLibrariesforHealth 53

SustainingLibrariesforHealthOverTime 55

Chapter8|Conclusion 59

Abbreviations 60

References 61

Tables

Table2.1ImplementationExample:LibrariesforHealthPeerSpecialistActivities 9

Table2.2ResponsibilitiesofLibraryStaff,PeerSpecialists,andCommunityPartners 17

Introduction

Thischapterprovidesanoverviewofthetoolkit’spurposeandhowbesttouseit.

ThistoolkitisaproductofLibrariesforHealth(L4H),apilotprogramthatsupportedtenlibrariesincentralTexasinembeddingmentalhealthsupportsintheirlibraries.

WestartbyexplaininghowL4Hcametobeandwhattheprogramentailed.Next,

webrieflydescribewhothistoolkitisintendedfor:librariansandlibrarystaffwhoareinterestedinembeddingmentalhealthsupportsintheirlibraries.Finally,wedescribehowtousethistoolkitandofferapreviewoftheincludedresources.

EmbeddingMentalHealthSupportsinLibraries

ThistoolkitdrawsfromL4H,amentalhealthpilotprogramthataimstobuildcommunitycapacityfor

mentalhealthandwell-beingbyembeddingmentalhealthsupportinpubliclibraries.L4HemergedfromapartnershipamongSt.David’sFoundation(SDF),RAND,ViaHope,andtenpubliclibrariesincentralTexas,inresponsetocriticalmentalhealthneedsandashortageofmentalhealthcareproviders.Incollaborationwithmembersofthispartnership,wedevelopedthistoolkittosharelessonslearnedintheL4Hpilotandtohelpotherlibrariessuccessfullyembedmentalhealthsupportswithintheiruniquesetting.

LibrariesoccupyauniqueplaceinAmericanlife:Theyarefreecommunityspacesthatdrawinawide

varietyofcommunitymembers.Althoughlibraries’missionshistoricallyhavefocusedonproviding

accesstoinformation,manylibrarieshaveexpandedtheirscopetoofferadditionalresourcestotheir

communities,suchascomputerandinternetaccess,foodbankprogramming,andlanguageandliteracy

Introduction

1

“Iwastheonethatintroduced

mysisterandmysister-in-law[tothepeerspecialist].AndthenasIsawthechanges,

especiallyonmysister,howshelookedbetter...youseesomeonealmostonadailybasisandseehowtheir

lifestylewasversushowtheyhavechangednow,

it’sjust—it’sworking,it’sworking.”

L4Hlibrarypatronparticipant

classes.Librariestendtobetrustedandwelcoming

spacesinwhichindividualsfromdiversebackgrounds

accessvaluableprogramsandresourcesatnocost.

Therefore,embeddingmentalhealthsupportintolibraryprogrammingcanfeellikeanaturalfitinmanysettings,especiallyforcommunitieswithgrowingmentalhealthneedsandalackoftraditionalmentalhealthresources.

L4Hprovidedapeerspecialistembeddedineach

participatinglibrary,fundsforlibrariestobuildmental

healthprogrammingandresources,regularcohort

gatherings,andtrainingsforthetenparticipatinglibrariestobuildtheirmentalhealthknowledgeandskills.Via

Hope,aTexas-basednonprofitorganization,trainedandsupervisedtheL4Hpeerspecialists,facilitatedthelibrarycohorttrainings,andprovidedtechnicalassistanceto

L4Hlibraries.Becausethecohortstructuremightnotbeeasyforlibrariestocreateoutsideafundedinitiative,wedonotdiscussitinthistoolkit.However,ourfullevaluationreport(expectedinsummer2025)willincludefindings

pertainingtoallaspectsofL4H(Ayeretal.,2025).

Theinclusionoflaymentalhealthworkersineach

libraryaddresses(1)aknownshortageofmentalhealthprovidersthataffectscommunitiesnationwideand

(2)awealthofresearchshowingthatthestigmaaboutseekingmentalhealthsupportisamajordeterrent

togettinghelp(HealthResourcesandServices

Administration,undated).L4Hleveragestheselaymentalhealthworkersbyusingatask-sharingapproachtobuildcapacityforandreducebarrierstocommunitymental

healthcareaccess.Task-sharinginvolvestraininglay

peopletoprovidementalhealthsupport,identifyneedsforadditionalassessmentandtreatment(e.g.,therapyormedication),andprovideawarmhandofftomentalhealthproviderswhenappropriate.InthecaseofL4H,peerspecialists—i.e.,individualswithlivedexperienceofmentalhealthchallengeswhousetheirtrainingandexperiencetosupportothers—fillthelaymentalhealthworkerrole.Peerspecialistspracticeactivelistening

andadvocacy,helppeopleaccesstheresources

theyneed,helpsetpersonalrecoverygoals,shareresourcesandprovideeducation,andleadsupport

groups,amongothermentalhealthactivities.Inregionswithmentalhealthprovidershortages,peer

specialistscanreducementalhealthproviders’workload.Theyalsocanreduceindividualbarriersto

accessingmentalhealthtreatment.Chapter2ofthistoolkitdiscussespeerspecialistsupportinmore

detail.Althoughpeersupportandothertask-sharingapproacheshavebeenusedinvarioussettings

(e.g.,emergencyrooms,homelessshelters,jails),theyhavenot,toourknowledge,beenimplementedinlibrarysettingspriortothisproject.

Evenbeforepeerspecialistswerefullyintegratedintotheirlibraries,librarystaffplayedapivotalrole

inkickingoffL4Himplementationbyproactivelyinitiatingmentalhealthactivities.Staffrecognizedthe

immediateneedsoftheircommunitiesandusedthegrantfundingprovidedbyL4Htoexpandtheirmentalhealthprogrammingandresources.Theyincorporatedmentalhealthtopicsintoexistinglibraryevents,suchascommunityhealthfairsandfamilystorytimes,creatinganinclusiveenvironmentthatgentlyintroduced

patronstomentalhealthconcepts.Additionally,librarystafforganizedmentalhealth–focusedworkshops

andsupportgroups,suchasstressreductionclassesandbookclubsdiscussingmentalhealththemes.

Theseactivitieswereoftenfacilitatedbylibrarystaff,communityvolunteers,orexternalfacilitators,ensuringthatthelibraryremainedasupportiveandwelcomingspaceforallpatrons.Byexpandingtheircollections

withmentalhealthmaterialsandresources,librarystafffurtherreinforcedtheircommitmenttoaddressing

thementalhealthneedsoftheircommunities,demonstratingthelibrary’sroleasavitalcommunityresource,evenintheabsenceofdirectpeersupport.Librarystaffalsobenefiteddirectlyfromtrainingthatbuilttheir

mentalhealthcompetencyandtheirabilitytorespondtopatronsinneed.

MoreinformationabouttheL4Hpilot,includingnewsarticlesandaphotoessay,canbefoundat

/how-we-work/grantmaking/what-we-fund/thriving-rural-communities/

libraries-for-health/

(SDF,undated).

HowtoUseThisTool

IntendedAudience

Thistoolkitprovidesideas,instructions,andtoolstolibrarydirectorsandstaffwhowishtointegratementalhealthsupportsintotheirsettings.Directorsandstaffcanusethistoolkittosetgoals,establishpartnerships,andplanimplementationprocesses.Organizationsthatwishtosupportlibrariesintheirmentalhealth

integrationefforts(forexample,throughfundingorcoordinationsupport)mightalsobenefitfromthistoolkit.

Weimaginethatlibraryleaders(suchasdirectorsorstaffwithmanagementresponsibility)willmost

oftenspearheadthestepsweoutlineinthistoolkit.However,werecommendcompletingthestepsand

worksheetsincollaborationwithotherprojectstakeholdersastheycomeonboard.Thesestakeholdersmightincludelibrarystaffwhowillbeinvolvedinimplementation,stafffromanypartneringorganizations,andthelibrary’speerspecialist,ifyourecruitone.

NavigatingtheToolkit

ThechaptersinthistoolkitprovidedetailedguidanceforanyonewhowouldliketoreplicatecomponentsofL4Hintheirlibrary.TheprocessforplanningandlaunchingL4Houtlinedinthistoolkitcloselyaligns

Introduction3

withtheevidence-basedGettingToOutcomesTM(GTO)process,tailoredforlibraries.1WeadaptedtheGTOstepsusinginsightssharedwithusfromlibrarystaff,directors,andpeerspecialistswhoparticipatedinL4H.

ThistoolkitcontainsseveralfeaturestohelpimplementL4H,andthesefeaturesaresignaledwithcorrespondingsignposts.

Worksheetstohelpyouorganize,reflect,andplanyourwork.Werecommendnotskippingthese.

Checkliststohelpyoutrackalltherecommendedcomponentsofastep.

TipsheetstohelpyoulocateusefulresourcesforeffectiveL4Hplanningandimplementation.

ImplementationexamplesfromL4Hpilotlibraries,whichcanserveasinspirationduringtheplanningprocess.

Anannextothistoolkit,witheditableversionsoftheworksheets,isavailableat

/t/TLA3597-1.

WeencouragelibrariesconsideringL4Htofollowthestepsasoutlinedinthetoolkit.However,depending

onthelibrary’sexistingcapacity,resources,andpartnerships,thelibrarydirectorandstaffmaypursuethestepsinadifferentorderfromtheoutlineinthistool.Theymightalsoneedtorevisitoriterateonthesestepsastheymoveforwardintheplanningprocess,especiallyifnewpartnershipsneedtobedeveloped.

Thistoolkitservesasacomprehensiveguideforlibrariesaimingtointegratementalhealthsupportsinto

theirenvironments,drawingoninsightsfromtheL4Hpilotprogram.Thischapterintroducestherationale

behindincorporatingmentalhealthsupportsinlibrariesandprovidesguidanceonhowtousethetool

effectively.Chapter2delvesintothecomponentsofL4H,includinglaymentalhealthworkers,peersupport,programming,activities,andexternalpartnerships.InChapter3,librariesareguidedthroughassessing

theirreadinessandcapacitytoadoptL4H,andweofferstrategiestoenhanceboth.Chapter4focusesonidentifyingcommunityneedsandsettingprogramminggoals,whileChapter5helpslibrariesselectspecificL4Hactivities,suchasfindingpeerspecialistsandchoosingsuitablementalhealthactivities.Chapter6

outlinesthepreparationandlaunchphase,emphasizingtheimportanceofbuildingpartnerships,securingfunding,andcreatingadetailedworkplan.Chapter7providesstrategiesforcontinuousimprovementandsustainingL4Hinitiativesovertime.Finally,Chapter8concludesthetoolkit,summarizingthejourneyandreinforcingthecommitmenttosupportingpatrons’mentalwell-being.

1GTOisanevidence-basedprocessforimplementing,evaluating,andimprovingcommunityprograms.Morethantwodecadesofre-

searchhaveshownthatprogramsthatusetheprocessaremorelikelytoachievetheirintendedoutcomes(RANDCorporation,undated).

4

Introduction

Topicscoveredinthischapter:

?Peersupportinlibraries

CHAPTER2

?Mentalhealthprogrammingandactivitiesforlibraries

?Externalpartnershipsandresources

Resourcesincluded:

ImplementationExamples:Libraries

forHealthPeerSpecialistActivitiesTipSheet:PeerSpecialist

Responsibilities—Do’sandDon’ts

LibrariesforHealthComponents

ThischapterdetailsthreecorecomponentsofL4H:peerspecialists,mentalhealth

activities,andsupportivepartnerships.Peerspecialists—thelaymentalhealth

workerswhoweretrainedtooffermentalhealthresourcesandsupporttofellow

adultcommunitymembers—formedthefoundationofL4H.Librariesalso

supplementedtheirL4Hprogramwithmentalhealthactivities,includingprogrammingforpatronsandstaff,andestablishedsupportivepartnershipswithotherlibraries

andcommunityorganizations.

PeerSupportinLibraries

Previousresearchhasdemonstratedtheeffectivenessoftrainingcommunitymemberstobuildcapacity

formentalhealthsupportandremovebarriersforindividualsinneedoftreatment(Barnettetal.,2018;

Magidsonetal.,2019;Snell-RoodandSchoenberg,2019).Theselaymentalhealthworkerscanleverage

culturalcompetence,existingrelationships,andtrustbuiltwithcommunitymemberstodeliverevidence-

basedmentalhealthstrategiestoreachindividualswhomightnotaccessmentalhealthsupportsotherwise.Trainingtypicallyinvolveswaystoidentifyorscreenformentalhealthconcernsandthendeployevidence-basedstrategiestoreducesymptomsandconnectindividualswithotherservices,ifneeded(e.g.,mental

healthevaluationortreatment).Laymentalhealthworkerscantakeonformalroles,suchascommunityhealthworkers,doulas,orpeerspecialistsinhealthcaresettings.Alternatively,staffincommunity-basedsettings,suchasbarbers,tattooartists,librarians,orworkforcedevelopmentstaff,canbetrainedas

LibrariesforHealthComponents

7

laymentalhealthworkers.Tolearnmoreaboutthesedifferentmodelsofcommunity-basedmentalhealthsupport,werecommendreadingtheBipartisanPolicyCenter’sJanuary2023report,FillingtheGapsintheBehavioralHealthWorkforce(Gilbertetal.,2023).

Afterconsideringmultipleprogram-designoptions,L4Hultimatelyselectedpeerspecialistsastheideal

typeoflaymentalhealthworkerfordeliveringmentalhealthsupporttoadultlibrarypatrons.Peerspecialistsareindividualswhohavelivedexperiencewithmentalhealthchallengesandhaveexperiencedsuccessin

navigatingthesechallenges.L4HusedViaHopetotrainpeerspecialiststolistentopatrons,sharetheirownexperiences,andoffersupportandresourcestohelpaddresspatrons’struggles.

L4Hselectedthepeerspecialistroleforthreemainreasons.First,initialconversationswithlibrariesshowed

thatalthoughlibrarystaffviewedmentalhealthsupportasapriority,theyalsofeltoverwhelmedwiththeir

existingtasksandwouldbereluctanttotakeonadditionalmentalhealthresponsibilities,includingthe

supervisionofpeersupport.Thus,sustainable,low-costoptionsforbringinglaymentalhealthworkersintothelibrarieswereneeded,asopposedtotrainingthelibrarystaffinhowtoimplementmentalhealthstrategies.

Second,peersupporthasevolvedovertimetobecomeawidelyrecognizedevidence-basedpractice

forimprovingthementalhealthandwell-beingofindividualsinavarietyofsettingsandcontexts.These

includeadultswithseriousmentalillness,individualswithdualhistoriesofincarcerationandmentalillness,

sociallyisolatedandlower-incomeolderadults,youthandadolescentscopingwithlonelinessandisolation,

individualswithdisabilities,familiesandcaregiversofindividualswithmentalillness,andmedicallyandsociallydisadvantagedpopulations(ShalabyandAgyapong,2020).However,eventhoughpeerspecialistshavebeenoperatinginvariedsettings,toourknowledge,theyhadnotpreviouslybeenusedinalibrarysetting.

Finally,state-certifiedpeersupporthadbecomenewlyreimbursablethroughMedicaidinTexas(Texas

MedicaidandHealthcarePartnership,2020).PeerspecialistswerefullyfundedbySDFfortheL4Hpilot,butthenewreimbursementprocessgaveapotentialavenueforlibrariestosustainpeersupportaftertheSDF-fundedL4Hprojectended.

PeerSupportActivitiesinthePilot

PeerspecialiststookonavarietyofresponsibilitiesintheL4Hpilotlibraries(Table2.1).Mostcommonly,

L4Hpeerspecialistsprovidedone-on-onementalhealthsupportandconnectedpatronstoresources.This

occurredthroughdrop-inofficehoursorscheduledappointments,aswellasthroughbeingavailableateventstomeetandtalkwithpatrons.Peerspecialistsmighthelppatronsfindmentalhealthproviders,schedule

appointments,completepaperwork,andtalkthroughtheirmentalhealthgoals.Theycanprovidesocialsupportandgeneralencouragementandadviceforanyoneexperiencingamentalhealthchallengeorstressor.

WithintheL4Hpilot,mostpeerspecialistsalsoplannedandledmentalhealthactivities,eithertoengagehard-to-reachpopulationsortoprovidedirectmentalhealtheducationandsupport,asneeded.Suchactivities

includedsupportgroups,mentalhealth–relatedbookgroups,communityresourcefairs,andwellnessactivitiesandworkshops.

L4Hpeerspecialistsalsoprovidedsupporttostaff.Onewaythisoccurredwasthroughawarmhandoff,adirectperson-to-personprocessthatallowedlibrarystafftoseamlesslytransferaddressingthemental

8

LibrariesforHealthComponents

Table2.1

ImplementationExamples:LibrariesforHealthPeerSpecialistActivities

PeerSpecialistActivities

Examples

Providedone-on-onesupporttopatrons

?

?

?

Generalwellnessandemotionalsupport

Assistancewithaccessingfood,clothing,services,andtransportationHelpwithobtainingdocumentation(e.g.,driver’slicense)

orapplyingforpublicbenefits(e.g.,SupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgram[SNAP],Medicaid)

Lednewwellness

programmingand/oraugmentedexistingprogrammingfor

patrons

?

?

?

?

Mentalhealth–focusedbookclubs

Supportgroupsforthoseexperiencinganxiety,depression,grief,and/orchallengeswithparenting

Mentalhealthclasses

Socialevents

Supportedlibrarystaff

?

?

?

?

?

?

Mentalhealth–focusedbookclubs

Supportgroupsforthoseexperiencinganxiety,depression,grief,and/orchallengeswithparenting

MentalhealthclassesSocialevents

Emotionalsupport

Recommendationsforhowtointeractwithpatronsexperiencingmentalhealthchallenges

Identifiedandbuiltconnections

withcommunitypartners;servedasmentalhealthresourceliaison

?

?

CreationoflocalresourcedirectoriesEstablishmentoflocalorganizations

Supportedstaffwithgenerallibrarytaskstobuildfamiliarityandtrust

withpatrons

?Participationinexisting,non–mentalhealthprogramming

?Circulationdeskassistanceandhelpwithbothgeneralandtechnologyquestions,asawayofintroductiontopatronsas

peerspecialists

healthneedsofapatrontothepeerspecialist.Thisprocessreducedtheburdenonlibrarystaffand

allowedthemtofocusonmore-standardlibrarytasks.Peerspecialistsalsodirectlysupportedstaffbysharinginformationonhowtosupportpatronsexperiencingmentalhealthchallenges,debriefing

withstaffwhoexperiencedchallengingpatronencounters,andprovidingsupporttostaffwhohadtheirownneedformentalhealthsupport.

ManyL4Hpeerspecialistsalsoidentifiedandbuiltconnectionswithlocalcommunityorganizationsandleaders(e.g.,homelessshelters,veterans’groups,mentalhealthorganizations,sheriffs).Peerspecialistssometimescompiledtheseorganizationsintoacommunityresourcelistforstafftosharewithpatrons.

Whenneeded,peerspecialistsalsoconnectedpatronsdirectlytotheircontactsattheseorganizationsbyprovidingawarmhandoff.

Finally,L4Hpeerspecialistsalsosupportedgenerallibraryoperationstobuildfamiliarityandtrustwithpatrons.Peerspecialistsbuilttheserelationshipsbyattendingexistingprogrammingcenteredonmentalhealthandbyhelpinganswerpatrons’questionsatthecirculationdesk.

LibrariesforHealthComponents9

“[Ourpeerspecialists]bothdo...offlcehoursforacoupleofhourseachweek

wherepeoplecouldsignuptocomemeetwiththem,one-on-one.

Onedoesatwice-monthlyanxietyanddepressionsupportgroup,andthen

theotherdoesaweekly,wecallit,calmcrafting....Theyalso

doamentalhelpbookclubandaneurodiversepeersupportgroup.”

L4Hlibrarydirector

Thefollowingtipsheetprovidesaquickoverviewofwhatpeerspecialistrolestypicallydoanddonotinvolve.

TipSheet:PeerSpecialistRoles—

Do’sandDon’ts

Peerspecialistsdo...

?Deliveremotionalandsocialsupporttopatronsandstaff

?Advocateforpatronstoaccessmentalhealthsupport

?Educat