Servant leadership informed trauma peer support

Abstract

Purpose Peer support has gained increasing attention within the mental health literature, including the trauma informed approaches research where peer support is a key principle. The purpose of this paper is to outline a servant leadership model of trauma peer support. Design/methodology/approach A targeted literature search that incorporated systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised control trials in the areas of servant leadership, peer support and trauma informed approaches were sourced. Findings Servant leadership can be used to provide a theoretical model of trauma peer support. All three constructs share the idea of empowerment as a core principle. An ideographic model of servant leadership trauma peer support is put forward based on eight characteristics from the extant literature. Research limitations/implications As with all conceptual papers, a lack of empirical data means the findings need to be investigated using primary data. Future research may wish to use this theoretical model to test effectiveness in equivalence studies. Practical implications A theoretical model of trauma informed peer support based on servant leadership theory, with a clear guide to its utilisation. Originality/value This is a novel approach, a new addition to the literature.

Trauma-informed leadership: a new concept or has it been here all along?

“…Although previous work has established a connection between trauma-informed and servant leadership (Mahon, 2021a;2021b), EI and both servant leadership and trauma-informed (Lee, 2019), and with EI being a core principle for adaptive leadership (McKimm et al, 2022), this qualitative collective case study shows the three leadership frameworks and the concept of EI still hold their own merits. As with many of the leadership styles, there are shared attributes, but there are still clear distinctions amongst them.…”

“…Adopting these principles will not occur overnight and involves creating a safe physical, and social environment with the possibility of needing a cultural change at the organizational level (Schulman & Menschner, 2018). Mahon (2021a;2021b) contends that a large body of knowledge exists that suggests many of the desired outcomes of trauma-informed leadership at the employee level are already occurring with servant leadership.…”

“…The researcher went on to make the assertion that trauma-informed leadership could be thought of as a branch of the servant leadership model (Mahon, 2021b). Like Mahon (2021a;2021b) and the suggestion that trauma-informed leadership at the employee level is already occurring with servant leadership, some research maintains that EI leaders and servant leadership is linked. In a survey of 445 athletic directors throughout the United States, Lee's (2019) hypothesis that servant leadership and emotional intelligence have a positive relationship was found to be true.…”

“…Trauma-informed leadership is a new notion that offers an opportunity for further exploration. Although, previous research (Mahon, 2021a;2021b) suggests that trauma-informed leadership is simply a new term for some already existing leadership frameworks with an emphasis on emotional intelligence. The purpose of this collective case study is to answer the question if trauma-informed leadership is a standalone framework or is it a new concept for existing leadership styles.…”

Implementing Trauma Informed Care in Human Services: An Ecological Scoping Review

“…While meta-analyses provide evidence of peer support across mental health and substance use [ 78 , 79 , 80 ] there is a paucity of research in the extant literature as it relates to peer support from a trauma perspective specifically. Although two papers do provide initial insights into the role peers can play in supporting people with trauma [ 81 , 82 ] much more research needs to be done in this arena, if peer support is to be included in organizational responses as part of TIC.…”