Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the experiences of peer support work among
people with mental illness. Methods: The participants were the members in the community
based mental health facilities and have been working as peer supporter for more than 6
months. The data were collected by in-depth interview with twelve participants. The collected
data were analyzed through Corbin and Strauss’s grounded theory approach. Results: The
core category was ‘becoming a healer going with patients in the journey of recovery’ and the
core phenomenon was ‘identity confusion as a peer supporter’. The causal conditions were
‘starting peer support work without certainty’ and ‘standing at the boundary between the
therapist and the patient’. The action and interaction strategies were ‘letting go of greed’, ‘be
open about oneself’, ‘developing professional skills’, ‘maintaining wellness in body and mind’,
and ‘being with the patient’. The intervening conditions were ‘willingness to become a
successful peer supporter’, ‘a sense of homogeneity with the patient’, ‘acceptance of mental
illness’, and ‘support from people around’. The consequences were ‘becoming the useful person’,
‘changing attitude towards life’, ‘expansion of self-existence sense’, ‘recovering from mental
illness’, and ‘discovering a role as a peer supporter’. Finally, substantive theory of ‘becoming a
healer going with patients in the journey of recovery’ was derived. Conclusion: This study
suggests the holistic understanding of the experience of peer supporter. The findings will
provide the implications for the intervention to help them perform successfully the role of peer
supporter and go through the recovery process.