Panel Discussion 17 - Engaging with Peer Specialists to Bridge Gaps in Youth Mental Health Care

There are not enough professional mental health providers to meet the growing demand for youth mental health services. There are even fewer professionals trained in evidence-based interventions, on top of multiple systemic barriers families face when seeking care. Challenges with accessing high-quality, evidence-based care are especially pronounced for families from historically marginalized backgrounds, exacerbating inequities in care. One promising solution is the integration of peer specialist models – also sometimes referred to as community health workers or peer navigators – into mental health service delivery. Peer specialists bring lived experience, trust, and local community knowledge to their work, making them uniquely positioned to engage underserved youth and families in care. Prior research demonstrates peers’ effectiveness in improving clinical outcomes, service engagement, and treatment satisfaction while also expanding workforce capacity for addressing mental health concerns. This panel will explore the potential and challenge of peer specialists to address youth mental health disparities through the lens of the Health Equity implementation Framework. Panelists will begin by sharing the background of their work with peer specialists. Then, they will use the Health Equity Implementation framework to guide discussion of peer specialist services across the dimensions of patient-peer specialist interactions, cultural considerations, and the broader social context of mental health services. Each panelist brings unique expertise partnering with peer specialists to improve youth mental health – including certified peer specialists, promotoras de salud, community health workers, and family peer specialist models – across outpatient, crisis services, community, and primary care contexts. By showcasing innovative and emerging peer models, this panel will highlight their potential to transform youth mental health care, reduce disparities, and strengthen the mental health workforce, while identifying key areas of needed future research.