Coaching and Peer Mentoring

Process improvement coaches have played a key role in the success of all of the NIATx programs. Peer mentors have also contributed to the successful process improvement projects at both the provider and system levels.

Process Improvement Coaches

With diverse backgrounds in quality improvement and behavioral health care, these experienced trainers:

  • Teach process improvement methods
  • Help providers implement Change Projects
  • Keep Change Projects moving and providers engaged
  • Help troubleshoot when providers get stuck

This toolkit aims to make NIATx process improvement methods more available to systems leaders everywhere. However, we encourage you to enlist the services of an experienced process improvement coach to work with first provider cohort in your Learning Collaborative.

Peer Mentors

The STAR-SI initiative recruited individuals who had participated in the original NIATx projects to serve as peer mentors to agencies new to NIATx model of process improvement. With experience as Change Team members, Change Leaders, or in some cases, Executive Sponsors for Change Projects, peer mentors share their experience and knowledge and help set the stage for successful change.

In addition to assisting new providers, peer mentors have helped STAR-SI states by:

  • Recruiting new providers
  • Presenting at conferences and workshops
  • Assisting the coach, or coaching

The choice of how to assign peer mentors depends on the individual’s process improvement skills as well as his or her ability to teach those skills to other providers.

In developing a peer mentor program, consider having peer mentors begin by serving as ambassadors or recruiters. As they become more comfortable with their skills, pair them with an experienced process improvement coach. Consider sending a peer mentor to a NIATx Coach Academy as a way to build your a local coaching pool. This way, you can support the efforts of other providers in the state or system as you spread the use of process improve

Further Reading