Peer mentoring for eating disorders patients - evaluation of a pilot program

The program will involve 13 un-structured mentoring sessions of up to 3 hours each, ideally completed fortnightly, over 6 months. Mentoring activities are guided by each individualised mentee "Wellness Plan" formulated during Session 1. This focuses on the mentee’s short-term goals in the following domains: living circumstances and skills, health, self-care, social relationships and connectedness, creative interests and hobbies, work/career and education, identity and sense of self, community roles and responsibilities. The Wellness Plan also outlines the mentee’s current recovery strategies (e.g., thoughts, feelings, behaviours, characteristics, personal qualities, interests, activities, relationships) that support the mentee to remain healthy as well as articulate warning signs (e.g., symptoms, thoughts, images, feelings, mood, behaviours) that indicate additional professional support or treatment should be sought. Mentors will also complete their own amended Wellness Plan which allows them to document self-care strategies and identify potential risks to ensure that program staff can support and ensure the mentor role is not detrimental to their continued health and wellbeing. Sessions 2-12 of the mentoring activities focus on supporting the mentee to work toward their identified goals through community-based activities such as supermarket shopping, self-care activities, reconnecting with community or navigating social interactions involving food. Mentors share aspects of their own recovery stories to promote hope and provide an empathic response to the challenges associated with recovery. Mentees will be assigned to one mentor. However, mentors may be assigned to more than one mentee. All mentoring sessions will ideally be face-to-face. When face-to-face sessions are not practical, sessions may be completed over the telephone. Sessions 1 and 13 will be completed on-site at EDV, with sessions 2-12 being delivered in a variety of community settings i.e. local shopping centres, parks, cafes. Mentees and mentors will not be permitted to meet in either person’s home. Adherence to the mentoring sessions will be monitored by EDV staff who will assist in scheduling mentoring sessions and providing support to mentees and mentors.