"Experts by experience" and peer counselors work as group tutors in inpatient and outpatient units alongside professionals and provide peer support for people with long-term mental health problems in the Hospital District of South Ostrobothnia.

 "Experts by experience" and peer counselors collaborate with professionals in a variety of settings: during the hospital's development stage during consultative meetings, in providing a meeting place with a low accessibility threshold for mental health service users. By sharing "lived experiences" of recovery in various frameworks involving health and/or social care, and by participating in the formation and development of user organizations that raise awareness about mental health issues and make users' voices heard.

Through these activities, service users become empowered and develop a sense of recovery: • This recovery is reflected in a sense of hope, which is defined as the belief that it is possible for a mental health patient to regain a meaningful life despite a serious mental illness, • Users remain in control of their lives and maintain autonomy and independence even while experiencing a mental health problem. Following the completion of the project, the training will be part of our Hospital District's subsequent Recovery College project. Various types of courses are organized within the project for service users, caregivers, students, and professionals. One of the lecturers on each course is an "Expert by experience," and the other is a professional.

Within the Hospital District, "experts by experience" and peer counselors collaborate with professionals on a variety of forums pertaining to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of mental health and substance abuse services, as well as group tutors in both inpatient and outpatient units.

The training of "experts by experience" is only the first step in putting peer support into action.

To implement service user involvement and recovery-focused care in psychiatric care and influence attitudes, a long-term commitment is required. Management support and adequate resources for coordination are required for the full-scale implementation of the peer support framework.

Aims: Improving service users' and caregivers' empowerment • Reducing stigma associated with mental health and substance abuse problems • Offering a joint learning opportunity for different target groups • Gradually increasing the involvement of "Experts by experience" and peer counsellors in the planning implementation, and evaluation of mental health and substance abuse services