At GPS Group Peer Support, we believe healthcare workers deserve support too. That belief led to the development of the GPS For Physician Assistants Curriculum, a trauma-informed peer support guide created specifically for PAs and the emotional realities they face in today’s healthcare environment.
The January–March 2026 MASStrong Implementation Partner report showcases how healthcare, behavioral health, recovery, and community organizations across Massachusetts are using MASStrong to strengthen staff support systems, expand GPS support groups, and build sustainable peer support infrastructure.
When GPS launched a support group, the goal was simple: Create a structured space where people navigating perimenopause and menopause could talk openly, reflect together, and feel less alone. What quickly became clear is how deeply needed that space is.
I recently had the opportunity to join a conversation with midwives and health workers from Midwifery Exchange in Ghana, a group of midwives, doctors, and physician assistants based in Ghana and the US, who are beginning to explore what it might look like to bring peer support more intentionally into their maternal and community health settings. To help jumpstart this journey, GPS provided free facilitator training to the healthcare team in Ghana.
On many college campuses across the country there is growing awareness of sexual violence, more conversations about consent, and an increasing number of students seeking support. Yet many of the structures meant to hold that support, especially peer-led groups, are struggling to meet the moment.
In conversations with campus practitioners and students alike, a common theme emerges: The need is there, but the model isn’t always working.
Research reflects what these clinicians already know. A 2022 study published in Home Healthcare Now found that more than 60 percent of home health nurses experience moderate to high levels of burnout, driven by workload intensity, emotional strain, and professional isolation. These are not marginal challenges; they are structural features of the job as it is currently designed.
Many participants shared that before joining GPS support groups, they rarely had structured opportunities to talk openly with colleagues about the emotional impact of their work. Unfortunately, this experience isn’t unusual. In many helping professions, the expectation is to stay composed and move on to the next task.
Recently, MASStrong partnered with New England Life Care (NELC) to offer a structured GPS support group for their home infusion nurses. Their responses to post-support group surveys tell a powerful story about what happens when caregivers are given space to slow down and connect.
By Liz Friedman, Co-Founder and CEO of GPS Group Peer Support Doulas —trained professionals who provide physical, emotional, and informational support before, during and shortly after childbirth— hold some of the most intimate, emotionally charged moments of a person’s life. They walk into labor and delivery rooms where joy, fear, trauma, power, and vulnerability collide,…
Loneliness is a silent struggle that affects countless individuals every day. It can have a profound impact on mental health, leading to increased feelings of sadness, stress, and isolation. However, there is a powerful antidote to loneliness: connection. Peer support groups can offer a way for individuals to break free from isolation and find comfort, healing, and understanding.
