Editor’s note: This was taken from RUHS information.
Riverside University Health System (RUHS) has a program called Take My Hand™ to offer help and recovery for Riverside County residents. The program was started in April 2020 in response to the global pandemic.
A live certified peer support specialist (PSS), a person who has lived the experience in recovery from a behavioral health condition and is trained to interact with others mutually and without judgment. Is available.
PSSs are skilled coaches who support a person’s wellness, responding to questions, providing assistance and connecting them to resources. More importantly, Take My Hand™ allows the user to remain anonymous if they choose.
PSSs operating Take My Hand™ have the ability to navigate conversations in a text modality, exercising the ability to clarify potentially confusing interactions due to lack of visual and para-verbal communication cues.
Take My Hand™ is the first web-based live service with a real person on the other end of the conversation, to be there for a person who may not be open to in-person, Skype-style or telephone verbal communication.
Peer support is an evidence-based practice bringing people together who have similar “lived experiences” to share hope and recovery. A person embarking on a journey to wellness and recovery receives support from a person who has been through similar challenges.
A PSS engages with the person receiving services one-on-one or in a group setting. The person receiving services has the opportunity to experience what it’s like to walk side-by-side with a person who has “been there” while learning new techniques and practicing new skills to move through daily life challenges.
Peer support is not just for the person struggling, but also for the loved ones of someone who is struggling.
It is available free from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at https://takemyhand.co.
This service is open to anyone ages 16 and older from Riverside County, who is looking for emotional support. People experiencing difficult feelings and stressors, affecting daily life and living, can access Take My Hand™ peer support. Whatever challenges you may face — relationships, difficult habits to manage, finances, physical or emotional health or spirituality, PSSs have either been through it, or something very similar.
The program just received a 2021 Challenge Award from the California State Association of Counties.
Correction: This story previously incorrectly gave the URL address as https://takemyhand.com.