EP 40: Naomi Salisbury on Self-Harm, Peer Support, and Why Lived Experience Must Be Taken Seriously

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Cate speaks with Naomi Salisbury, whose relationship with peer support has spanned decades, both as someone living with mental health challenges and as a leader working to build better support for others. From advocacy and helpline work to leading a lived experience-led charity, Naomi has spent years at the heart of peer support spaces, especially around self-harm, where understanding, trust and safety matter deeply. In this conversation, she reflects on what good peer support really looks like, why self-harm is so often misunderstood, and what happens when lived experience is treated as an optional extra rather than something essential. She also shares her concerns about underfunding, tokenism and the pressure to force peer support into systems that do not always respect what makes it powerful in the first place.In this episode, we explore:✔️ Naomi’s journey through peer support as both participant and professional✔️ Why peer support can be especially powerful for people who self-harm✔️ How safe, honest peer spaces can hold difficult conversations well✔️ The risks of reducing peer support to a cheap add-on within formal services✔️ What proper investment in lived experience-led work should look like✔️ Naomi’s hopes for the future of peer support in the UK and beyondShow Noteshttps://naomisalisbury.org https://squarepegsuk.substack.com/about Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk