Dumbrell, JoshCarver, HannahFoster, RebeccaPauly, BernieSteele, WezRoy, MichaelParkes, Tessa2025-03-182025-03-182024Dumbrell, J., Carver, H., Foster, R., Pauly, B., Steele, W., Roy, M., & Parkes, T. (2024). Navigating transitions into, through, and beyond peer worker roles: Insider insights from the Supporting Harm Reduction through Peer Support (SHARPS) study. Harm Reduction Journal, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-024-01109-4https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-024-01109-4https://hdl.handle.net/1828/21659Peer workers are individuals who draw on their personal experiences in a professional capacity to support clients. Existing research on the role of peer workers in mental health, homelessness, and substance use services has primarily focused on their impact on client outcomes. This paper describes the development of peer workers as they transition into, through, and beyond this role. Utilising data from the Supporting Harm Reduction through Peer Support (SHARPS) study, where Peer Navigators supported people experiencing homelessness and substance use challenges, this paper explores the sense-making involved in an intensive peer support worker role, adaptation to organisational culture, and engagement with opportunities for professional advancement.enCC BY 4.0complex needsexperiential workersharm reductionhomelessnesspeer workerspsychologically informed environmentsqualitativesubstance useworkers with lived and living experienceArticle