Topic 3: Ethical Challenges in Peer Advocacy

While advocacy is essential in peer support, it also presents ethical challenges. Peer specialists must ensure that their advocacy does not overstep professional boundaries, create conflicts of interest, or undermine peer autonomy.

Common Ethical Challenges in Advocacy:

• Over-involvement: Becoming too personally invested in a peer’s challenges.

• Imposing personal views: Advocating based on one’s own beliefs rather than the peer’s needs.

• Confidentiality concerns: Advocacy efforts must respect a peer’s right to privacy.

Example:

A peer specialist strongly believes in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and encourages a peer to follow this path. However, the peer prefers an abstinence-based recovery model. Ethical advocacy requires the specialist to respect the peer’s choice and support their recovery journey, even if it differs from the specialist’s personal views.

Best Practice: Peer advocacy should be peer-centered, non-directive, and aligned with ethical guidelines.