Benefits and difficulties associated with the profession of peer workers in mental health field

The ongoing process of mental health reform in the Czech Republic brings transformation of services provided for people with mental illness. Considering the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the involvement of care users in decision-making in both policy and service delivery is also becoming the point of interest. One form of participation of users with their own experience of mental illness in ongoing changes is to employ them as peer workers. The thesis deals with the view of peer workers employed in mental health field on the profits and difficulties associated with their profession and how peers perceive the impact of their employment on their path of recovery. The theoretical part describes the concept of recovery, explains the development and basic principles of peer support and peer jobs in the Czech Republic. Subsequently, the development of services for people with mental illness is described from institutional care to community services. Then the development of psychiatric services in the Czech Republic is explained. In the practical part, the opinion of peer workers on the advantages and disadvantages associated with their profession is examined using the qualitative research. A qualitative analysis of data obtained from semi-structured interviews with ten peer..