Understanding the Principles of Peer Ethics

Learning Objectives:

1. Define Peer Ethics
2. Learners will be able to clearly define what peer ethics means and how it differs from clinical or organizational codes of conduct.
3. Identify Core Ethical Principles
4. Learners will identify and explain at least five key ethical principles in peer support (e.g., mutuality, respect, self-determination, integrity, and hope).
5. Recognize the Importance of Boundaries
6. Learners will describe why healthy boundaries are essential in peer support and identify common situations where boundaries may be tested.
7. Understand Confidentiality and Trust
8. Learners will explain how confidentiality is upheld in peer work, when it can be limited, and how it builds trust with peers and organizations.
9. Examine Power and Mutuality
10. Learners will analyze the concept of power balance in peer support and how ethics require relationships to be grounded in equality and mutual respect.