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Welcome to Penticton Physician Peer Support!

The Physician Peer Support Program at PRH encourages an authentic human connection with another person who shares similar life experiences — in this case, the unique stressors and challenges faced by physicians. For more information on the program click here.

What do our supporters offer?

PRH Peer Supporters offer non-judgmental listening and non-clinical emotional support with life, work, and other issues. We aim to facilitate these confidential, non-clinical empathetic conversations between colleagues, where physicians feel safe to share the issues they are experiencing with someone trained to listen.

What are some reasons to seek out Peer Support?

  • Imposter syndrome
  • Coping with health care crisis
  • Personal/professional relationship issues
  • Patient/College complaints

  • Adverse clinical events

  • Acute life stressors

  • Burnout
  • Work stress
  • Work/life balance

Confidentiality

The peer support program is structured to ensure privacy and does not report to any PRH department. Any information submitted through this website will be kept confidential (only viewable by the Peer Supporter and program administrator for the purpose of facilitating a match).

Access Peer Support for yourself

Access Peer Support for a colleague

Instant Wellness Resources

Meet our team

Dr. Sheena Manning, Physician Lead and Volunteer Peer Supporter
Dr. Manning is a local emergency physician and the physician lead on our Peer Support team and has worked with the Doctors of BC Physician Health Program to design and implement our local pilot program. She completed her family medicine residency in Halifax, NS and worked as a full-service family medicine locum in Nova Scotia, PEI, and the NWT before moving to Penticton. Dr. Manning completed her CCFP(EM) certification and now works exclusively in the ED. She is married to a fellow physician and has two young children. She is happiest outdoors, passionate about wellness, and constantly trying to find the elusive balance in her life.
Dr. Michelle Linekin, Volunteer Peer Supporter

Dr. Linekin volunteered to do peer support because of the difference this has made in her working life. It’s also a skill she is proud to have developed, learning from patients’ stories and studying developmental psychology, trauma, and addictions counselling. Michelle had her own family practice in Vancouver for 18 years. As a physician peer, it may be helpful to know Michelle works now as a locum with youth in the Foundry and UBC Family Practice program, which may allow you to preserve privacy and boundaries since her work may not overlap much with your personal and professional identities. Michelle is in her 50s, married with three adult kids, two horses, and a cherry orchard. She “believes we are all trying our best, all the time, and this varies day by day, which means each day we can try something different”.

Dr. Brent Harrold, Volunteer Peer Supporter
Dr. Brent Harrold is trained as a family and emergency physician and has enjoyed private practice as well as 25 years of emergency work.  He completed his residency with his wife Cathy (also a family physician) at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, then moved back to BC.  He did locum work throughout rural BC and in Nunavut, then settled in Summerland after a great locum experience there.  He has transitioned out of office and emergency work and is assisting in the operating room, primarily in orthopaedics.  Dr. Harrold has 3 adult children and loves the outdoors – cycling, travelling, XC skiing, swimming, and hiking with his Aussie Shepherd.  He believes sharing stressful or unexpected situations with colleagues leads to better mental health and professional satisfaction.  He is very pleased to be involved in the Peer Support Program.
Kirsty Brenneman, Peer Support Administration

Kirsty Brenneman provides administrative support for the Peer Support program.

Additional contacts and resources

Canadian Medical Protective Association

The CMPA is a not-for-profit, mutual defense association which is governed by a council of physicians representing members from across Canada. Contact for medico-legal support.

1-800-267-6522

https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/home

Doctors of BC Regional Advisor and Advocate

RAAs are Doctors of BC staff that advise and advocate for you as physicians, inform you about Doctors of BC Initiatives and connect you with resources. https://www.doctorsobc.ca/advocacy-and-policy/advocacy/regional-advisors-and-advocates 

Interior RAA: Brent Weiss.

Additional PRH MSA Resources

Other PRH MSA resources can be found here.

Need urgent assistance? Contact Doctors of BC Physician Health Program 24/7 line: 1-800-663-6729

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rationale for the peer support program?

Physicians face unique challenges. Even clinicians with robust personal support networks stand to benefit tremendously from sharing their experiences with peers who have been in a similar situation and can truly understand and empathize with the pain, stress, vulnerability, and fear that are common emotional responses to physician experiences such as patient complaints, adverse events, and others.

What is the goal of peer support?

Peer support offers a safe way for clinicians to talk about their experience and emotions with someone who has empathy from having “been there”. The focus of peer support is not to fix the problem. Instead, we offer short-term support through non-judgmental listening, we empower you to recognize existing strengths and strategies, and we connect you to community resources if needed. Peer support is essentially psychological first aid. It is not therapy, mentorship from an experienced peer, or direct clinical care.

When might someone benefit from peer support?

Peer support might be helpful for physicians who experience work or life stressors and require emotional, non-judgmental support. Examples of this might include:

  • Adverse clinical event (including but not limited to an adverse patient outcome)
  • Patient or college complaint
  • Interpersonal/relational conflict with a patient or colleague
  • Acute life stressor which impacts career (e.g. birth of a new child or bereavement)
  • Struggles with burnout/moral injury
  • A change that has happened at work that impacts you emotionally
How can I request peer support?

Choose the type of Peer Support you are requesting and then fill out the online form.

If I notice my colleague needing peer support, can I refer them to you?

Yes! First, reach out to your colleague to seek their consent to pass their name and contact information to our peer support program. Then, fill out the online form.

What happens after I make a peer support request?

You will receive an automatically generated email confirming your request has been received. Emergency and wellness resources will be embedded in that email. Within 3-4 business days, you will be contacted by a peer supporter to schedule an initial meeting. In the unlikely event a peer supporter is not immediately available, a program administrator will contact you with resources and a revised contact timeline.

What does a peer support conversation look like?

Peer support conversations occur through the modality of your choice – in person, phone call or Zoom. The duration of a conversation will vary based on your needs – generally 15-45 minutes. Peer support relationships are short term, which means that you will likely have one to three conversations with your peer supporter.

How are peer support conversations kept confidential?

Confidentiality is an integral part of our program. Only the peer support program administrator and your peer supporter has access to your name and contact information for the purpose of facilitating a match and contacting you. Peer supporters will not be taking written notes during your conversation. There are rare cases where confidentiality must be broken, such as when a physician is at risk of harming themselves or others, or if a peer supporter has a direct reason to believe that someone is at risk for unsafe behaviour. These are the same reasons you might have to break confidentiality in your everyday clinical practice as a physician. If in the rare case that this situation arises, your peer supporter would make you aware of the situation and support a collaborative approach to addressing the concern.

This program is supported by: