Peer Support
Peer support
& coaching
When you use knus, you’ll connect with a trained and experienced peer support coach.
Our peer support coaches bring lived experience of mental health, either through their own experiences or by supporting others, personally or professionally. Every coach has completed a recognised peer support course (or equivalent), ensuring they meet the required standards and competencies.
Peer support through knus does not involve diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. Instead, conversations are strengths-based, supportive, and focused on shared understanding. Coaches draw on their lived experience and training to offer insight, encouragement, and practical perspective.
It all begins with an initial conversation - one that’s hopeful, respectful, and grounded in empathy. From there, your peer support coach may share ideas and reflections shaped by their own experiences, helping you feel supported as you navigate what you’re facing.
What's covered?
Some of the topics we may explore together include:
1) Coping skills
2) Self-help strategies
3) Recovery and action planning
4) Signposting to additional support and resources
knus weaves coaching into conversations where appropriate, helping individuals reflect, set goals, and take positive steps forward at their own pace.
Is knus confidential?
Yes. All knus volunteers undergo appropriate background checks and are trained to uphold strict confidentiality. Information is only shared if there is a concern about safety or safeguarding, in line with legal and ethical requirements.
How does it work?
knus uses innovative technology to connect you with trained and supervised volunteer mental health peer support coaches. All you have to do is say ‘Hello’ using your favourite chat app (using the links from our website) and one of our volunteers will be with you soon as they can.
The next message you’ll receive from us will be a volunteer welcoming you to the chat. They will often ask ‘How are you doing today?’ or ‘What would you like to chat about today?’. We know it can be a little daunting reaching out for help, but be reassured we know how you feel and there’s no need to be shy. We’re a friendly bunch at knus.
Once you’re introduced, we will then book you in with a peer support worker. We like to triage everyone, so we can work out how best to help you. We may need to ask you to complete an on-boarding form. Once you’re booked in, your first chat will typically last for around 30 minutes.
We like our conversations to be hopeful, respectful, supportive and based on shared understanding. Our volunteers all have different mental health tips based on their lived experience and we hope this empowers you moving forward. As the conversation comes to a natural close, we may incorporate life coaching into the conversation, as it always feels good to have a plan and some aims. You will then be booked in for further chats if you wish to do so.
The volunteers you will speak to have a lived experience of mental health, have undergone peer support training and some hold or are training towards professional qualifications in the field of mental health. All volunteers are fully DBS checked and are supervised regularly.
Our service is subject to availability and we’re not obliged to provide our services. Every peer support engagement is assessed individually to ensure the best outcome for the service user. We may refer service users to another service if we feel it’s more relevant and may have a better outcome for you.
Our service is intended to be a safe environment for all. If you’re abusive or rude, we may suspend or terminate our services to you.
If you reach out to us in the twilight hours, we may take a little longer to respond.
Our service is not intended to be a crisis de-escalation service. If you feel you’re in crisis, please visit our crisis page for further guidance.
How much does it cost?
knus is a non-for-profit organisation known as knus Inc based in Delaware. All services we offer are free of charge.
Is it like therapy?
Peer support coaches do not provide diagnosis, treatment or therapies. Rather the conversation will be strengths based, and provide inspiration, on how to overcome mental health issues, using the lived experience and qualifications of the peer support coach.
If we’re unable to help, we will always try to signpost you to someone that can help.
Are knus volunteers supervised?
All volunteers are regularly supervised and receive on-going training.
How do you use my information?
All chats on knus are confidential and you can request a copy or deletion of the information we hold on you at any time by contacting: [email protected]. The only time we will breach confidentiality is if we believe someones safety is at risk or if there is a safeguarding concern. If this occurs, we will contact and pass on the information to the emergency services or the authorities.
You can check our privacy policy by clicking here.