Susanne Iris Bauer

• Abstract: There is still little experience in Germany in employing peers in social psychiatric institutions and services. Based on the European Leonardo da Vinci project „Experienced Involvement" from 2005-2007 pioneering work took long to broaden ist influence. The presented work focused on the employment situation of ExIn recovery accompaniments in Germany and used a mixed methods design for this. On one hand a complete survey with a questonaire was used. This focused on the type and scope of Experienced Involvement as well as fields of application of ExIn recovery support and asked for reasons for non-employment and potential perspectives for future engagement. To find out about the subjective perspectives qualitative research methodes were used. This started with the implementation of focus groups to bring in the perspective of prospective ExIn recovery accompaniments. Further on guideline-based interviews were conducted with ExIn recovery accompaniments and their teammates on the experience of professional action, the conditions for this and the effects on the services and themselves.