Despite their capacity to bridge providers and clients, peer support workers remain largely absent from Australia’s emerging psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) landscape. This study identifies a broadly supportive and optimistic PSW workforce, while highlighting the need for tailored education pathways and structured integration models to enable effective involvement in developing PAT frameworks.
ABSTRACT
Introduction
Peer Support Workers (PSWs) in mental health and substance use treatment draw on their lived experience (LE) to support clients through mutual understanding and trust. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is emerging as a mental health and substance use treatment modality. As interest grows, understanding PSWs’ perspectives on PAT is critical to inform safe and effective implementation, and the potential role PSWs can play in models of care. This study examined factors shaping PSWs’ perspectives toward PAT and perceived barriers to its adoption and implementation.
Methods
A mixed methods design was employed. A cross-sectional survey informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) captured PSWs’ perceptions of PAT and potential barriers to its use. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with five survey participants. Interview transcripts were analyzed to provide a qualitative description and identify topics and patterns to enrich and contextualize the survey findings.
Results
Survey responses indicated strong PSW support for PAT, with most participants expressing willingness to recommend it to clients. Qualitative findings expanded on this interest, highlighting concerns around client safety, psychoeducation, stigma, and accessibility. The qualitative description of interview results identified key influences on PSWs’ attitudes toward PAT, complementing survey results and aligning with existing literature.