NHRCK Chair Visits Peer Support Centers, Underlines Importance of Community Mental Health Services
Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission visits peer support centres and shelters to hear from people with mental disabilities and activists
On 6 February, Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, visited the Songpa Mental Disorder Peer Support Centre and Peer Support Shelter in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and met with people with mental disabilities and activists to hear their voices.
Peer support refers to a service where people with mental disorders receive counselling and support from peers who have experienced and recovered from mental disorders, and peer support shelters are short-term facilities where people with mental disorders can find stability in shelters run and supported by their peers.
In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released seven technical packages on person-centred and human rights-based services for community mental health services, and peer support mental health services is one of them.
"Peer empathy and support seems to be a driving force in recovery," the Commissioner said, "and I hope that peer support shelters will be expanded in the future."
