Primary Children's Hospital - Salt Lake City

The Family 2 Family Peer Mentor Program was created to support parents or guardians of current inpatient patients by connecting them with another parent who has been through similar experiences. Parents can voice their concerns, worries, and frustrations with someone who will understand their situation.

In a three-year study done by Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, of a parent-to-parent program, the parents who received peer support were found to have the following:

• Increased confidence and well-being
• Problem solving abilities
• Adaptive Coping
• Perception of Social Support
• Self-Esteem
• Acceptance of their situation

Further, parents felt more empowered to nurture and care for their patient while in the hospital, leading to shorter stays. Their stress and anxiety were all reduced. Peer support offered a form of legitimizing their situation that cannot be met by any other hospital staff.^[1]

Family 2 Family Coordinator will receive a staff or self-referral, and then reach out to the F2F Parent Mentors. Identified Parent Mentor will then connect with the parent either in person or over the phone and provide support while the patient is admitted to the hospital.  Mentor volunteers may suggest things like community support groups and services where appropriate but are not permitted to provide any medical advice or counseling. All medical questions should be directed to the patient's treatment team.

Contact the Family 2 Family Coordinator at (801) 662-3795 or ask your social worker or nurse to request a Family Parent Mentor.

"Having a family mentor at the time of diagnosis was crucial for me. She helped me understand the treatment process, what to expect on clinic days, home health visits, and most importantly she provided a listening ear. Having a critically ill child is so difficult and stressful for the entire family, and having another mom who could relate gave me so much comfort."

— Ada Bowler, Family 2 Family Parent Mentor

"I know my experience talking with other families in the NICU, as well as those who came in to present, really impacted my attitude and outlook for the future positively!."

— Theresa Gervais Kay, Family 2 Family Parent Mentor

"Even though everyone experiences things differently, having someone to talk to that had experienced a similar situation is so valuable! They can provide, empathy, perspective, and hope in ways that others cannot. I am forever grateful for those further down the path that volunteered their time and shared their experience to help me see that I wasn't alone."

—Shanda Miller, Family 2 Family Parent Mentor