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
Doctors of BC Physician Health Program
24/7 line: 1-800-663-6729 Office line: 1-604-398-4300 (Mon to Fri, 8.30 to 4.30) www.physicianhealth.com
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.
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
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.
What if I have more questions?
Please contact Dr. Sheena Manning, local physician lead, at
