Belong to Yourself @ Work: Re-establishing Your Relationship to Employment

Peer support work is deeply personal — it draws on lived experience, empathy, and connection. But when the role becomes too closely tied to personal identity, it can lead to over-identification with the job, taking workplace challenges personally, and working past healthy capacity. In this 60-minute interactive session, participants will explore six reflective questions designed to uncover the personal biases and relationship patterns they bring to work. These patterns — often shaped by life experience — can influence how we respond to stress, set boundaries, and navigate professional relationships. Participants will have time to write their own responses, followed by facilitator examples illustrating how these reflections can reveal the roots of burnout and open the door to more sustainable ways of working. When participants see these patterns clearly, they can take steps to conserve their energy, maintain healthy boundaries, and continue finding meaning in their role. Learning Objectives: - Identify 2-3 personal biases and relationship patterns that influence work in peer support roles. - Recognize how these patterns can contribute to over-identification with the job and working past capacity. - Apply reflective questioning to increase self-awareness and reduce burnout risk.