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EXHIBIT 3.2. Peer Boundaries

Peer specialists should:

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Keep a professional and respectful attitude toward the people with whom they work, regardless of any previous relationship.

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Respect the confidentiality of the information received from the people seeking services. Be aware of differences in standards that may exist between clinical and nonclinical settings. When receiving information from an individual in recovery that affects treatment or the recovery plan, a peer specialist should make sure they document these communications and any actions that have taken place. They should ensure that team members who are directly involved in the person's care can access this documentation.

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Remember to follow federal privacy rules.

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Recognize limits, including asking for help before they get overwhelmed with people's problems or are faced with difficult situations (e.g., the person gives them a gift, the person asks for medical advice).

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Report a breach of confidential information to supervisors, the program director, or compliance officer. They also should report to these individuals any concerns about workplace harassment.

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Report concerns about individuals’ emotional or mental problems to their supervisor.

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Report cases where someone is being hurt (for example, child abuse, spousal abuse, elder abuse, potential suicide, or homicide). Peer specialists must report such events right away to their supervisor, the program director, or the compliance officer. They should be sure to give individuals afterhours crisis phone numbers at first contact.

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Report any incident where money or financial assistance has been offered to an individual in recovery or has been offered by an individual in recovery.

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Understand that once they report a situation in certain settings, the peer specialist may not receive follow-up information. In some situations, this is considered confidential information. Peer specialists should continue to be understanding with the person but shouldn't ask them for more details on what happened unless they would like additional support regarding the matter.

Peer specialists shouldn't:

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Discuss the individuals with whom they work with their family or friends.

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Share personal contact information with individuals to whom the peer specialist is providing services, such as their personal cell number or personal email address.

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Provide financial assistance or advice to an individual in recovery.

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Try to solve individuals’ problems; they are adults and have responsibility for their own lives. They instead should refer the person to a counselor or therapist.

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Form a romantic or sexual relationship with a person in or seeking recovery. Peer specialists have influence over the individual in recovery, which makes romantic and sexual relationships inappropriate.

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Physically touch people without permission. Some people are not comfortable with even friendly forms of touching, like a hug or pat on the back. Also, unwanted physical touching can be upsetting or retraumatizing to people with a history of abuse or other trauma.

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Say things that are sexual in nature, even jokes or casual comments. This is unprofessional. Also, such comments are deeply uncomfortable to many people and are a form of sexual harassment. Furthermore, what the peer specialist may find funny might feel aggressive or uncomfortable to someone else.

Source: Adapted with permission. ³³⁴