Peer Coaching – Life advice from other affected people

“Do your children feel ashamed of you?” “How do you get your wheelchair onto a plane?” “Do you still have a fulfilling sex life?” The questions that Therese Kämpfer heard as a peer coach at Swiss Paraplegic Centre (SPC) were diverse and taken straight from life.

Twenty years ago, this quadriplegic woman began supporting newly paraplegic individuals with advice and assistance. “The service emerged from a need,” says the 66-year-old. At that time, she was working in quality management at SPC. In this capacity, she conducted interviews with patients before their discharge from the clinic to learn more about their satisfaction and the benefits of rehabilitation.

However, the clinic doctors regularly asked if she could speak with patient X or patient Y, as they had specific questions about topics such as mobility, family life, or home organization.

For over 20 years, Therese Kämpfer has been providing valuable peer work and is now sharing her knowledge in courses.

The organization myPeer aims to revolutionize peer coaching

What once started small at the SPC has developed into a nationwide movement today – thanks to Therese Kämpfer and her daughter Alexandra. The two women founded the association myPeer in February 2021 with the goal of revolutionizing peer work in Switzerland.

Their vision: Peers should become a permanent part of interdisciplinary teams in healthcare and provide support to those affected. Because peers are experts by experience – their knowledge and understanding are of enormous value. “For us, it has always been clear that this applies to every type of illness, addiction, or adversity,” says Therese Kämpfer.

When people have accidents or fall seriously ill, they face a thousand questions. Their existence may be threatened, or they may doubt whether a fulfilling life is still possible. Those who have gone through the same experience understand these fears well.

“The medical care in Switzerland is very good. However, there is often a lack of competent life assistance.”

Therese Kämpfer, President of myPeer

The association myPeer trains professional coaches for counselling and guidance: “Because being personally affected is not enough on its own.” Conversation techniques, reflecting on thoughts, maintaining confidentiality, setting personal boundaries, knowing values, and standing up for them – these are all topics addressed during the training.

The four myPeer coaching courses per year are fully booked.

Since 2022, over 160 individuals with various impairments or adversities have completed a course. This includes people with burnout or depression, various illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, or mental health issues, those struggling with alcohol addiction, blindness, or the aftermath of a stroke, as well as individuals who have lost a child or a partner.

Peer Work in practice

One of the graduates is Andrea Zemp. She is a registered nurse and mother of three children. Her daughter was born premature and with spina bifida: “As an affected mother, I would like to share my accumulated knowledge and seek solutions with other parents that fit their specific situations.”

When a child is ill or has a disability, counselling and supporting the parents is essential; unfortunately, there is often not enough time for this important work in hospitals. “I greatly value the exchange. It's wonderful when a family finds something through counselling that relieves them financially, mentally, or physically.”

Thanks to peer work, the many valuable pieces of information are not lost – future generations of parents benefit from it. This is important to Andrea Zemp, which is why she also provides a list of useful links.

Andrea Zemp supports parents of premature infants and children with spina bifida.

Monika Rolli is also committed to ensuring that those affected do not feel alone with their challenges. Nine years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and now offers Reiki treatments and peer work: “I show people with chronic and somatic illnesses and their loved ones new perspectives to cope with challenging life situations and strengthen their well-being.”

Prior to her myPeer training, Monika Rolli worked as a counsellor. She has since built her own practice and also works as a lecturer and guest peer instructor at various (post-secondary) schools and institutions.

For them, the person and their health are the focus, and that is all that matters: “Peer work offers a different perspective in healthcare, which is of great value for both those affected and for medical professionals.”

Monika Rolli is there for people with chronic, psychosomatic, and taboo subjects.

More support from politics is needed

Four years of myPeer also means four years of fighting for recognition and compensation for the coaches. Therese Kämpfer is proud of what has been achieved but knows that the road ahead is still long: “Accident insurance or health insurance should cover peer work,” she is convinced.

In reality, there are still no payers – apart from a few individual clinics or organizations. To change this, a federally recognized training program would be needed, the implementation of which myPeer can hardly manage alone. Therefore, an umbrella organization for peer work was established in June 2024.

“To demonstrate the positive effects of our peer work, it would need to be researched scientifically. We hope to be able to undertake such a project.”

Therese Kämpfer

Alexandra Kämpfer and Ute John are vocational school teachers, adult educators, and intensive care nurses, and they take care of the myPeer training programs as educational coordinators. Together with Ursula Gröflin and Dominique Hirschi, they support Therese Kämpfer in the association's work.

“We are proud that the myPeer training is so well received and that our four courses per year are fully booked,” says Alexandra Kämpfer. In 2026, the nine-day training will even be extended by a few days to delve more deeply into the content. The myPeer team has succeeded in raising awareness of peer work – with everyone being passionate, flexible, and creative in their approach.

Alexandra Kämpfer and Ute John teach during the myPeer training.

“Our vision is still the same as at the beginning: Peers should become an integral part of the healthcare system,” says Alexandra Kämpfer. In implementing this, it is important to find strong support at the political level and to move forward together with other organizations. “So that experiential knowledge is recognized and financially compensated – and every institution integrates peer work into its mission statement.”

Have you ever been to a peer coach? We are curious to hear about your experiences.