Peer support gives a healthcare worker a prepared colleague to speak with after a difficult event. A useful program makes access and boundaries clear before staff need it.
Johns Hopkins' Caring for the Caregiver program trains hospitals to establish peer responders who offer nonjudgmental emotional support after difficult events. It is modeled on the hospital's Resilience in Stressful Events program, known as RISE. Program description
Find the local route
Ask how a nurse can contact peer support, whether colleagues can offer a referral and when responders are available. Check whether the service covers your employment arrangement and work location.
Keep the contact route accessible outside a manager's office or a training presentation. An employee who works nights should be able to find the same practical information as a daytime colleague.
Do not assume that a program described on another hospital's website is available to everyone.
Separate support from event review
A support conversation and a safety investigation have different purposes. Before speaking, ask the responder to explain their role and whether they are also involved in reviewing the event.
Avoid asking a peer supporter to determine fault, promise a disciplinary outcome or advise someone to omit facts from a required report.
For a fictional example, a nurse distressed after an unexpected event may need time with a peer responder while a separate team reviews the care process. Supporting the nurse does not require reaching a conclusion about the event first.
Ask about confidentiality
Clarify what information is recorded, who can access it and what circumstances require escalation or disclosure. A program's use of the word “confidential” should come with an explanation of its actual boundaries.
Johns Hopkins lists confidential RISE peer support separately from employee assistance counseling and other behavioral health resources. That distinction is useful when asking what a local service provides. Hopkins support resources
Do not treat a peer conversation as automatically equivalent to clinical mental healthcare or a legally privileged relationship.
Support choice and access
Offer information without requiring a colleague to retell an event publicly or disclose private feelings to the team. Ask what practical support would help them access the available service.
A peer supporter should work within the program's training and referral procedures. When additional professional help is needed, the pathway should be clear.
For immediate danger or an emergency, use the appropriate emergency service rather than waiting for a routine peer-support appointment.
Address the working conditions too
Peer support can be one part of an organizational response. It should not become the only response to recurring equipment, staffing or workplace behavior concerns.
Review access, response availability and whether staff understand the service. Evaluate the program without collecting unnecessary personal details from support conversations.
A confidential support conversation has a different purpose from a team debrief about what happened during care.
Related
debriefing · just culture · managing incivility.
Sources
- Caring for the Caregiver (accessed 2026-09-17) — Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute.
- Resources for Support and Stress Management (accessed 2026-09-17) — Johns Hopkins Office of Well-Being.