You've almost made it through October!
This time of year can get a little over-the-top (even when things are going well). Sometimes it's nice to take a break from seriousness and enjoy something light, weird, and a little funny.
So in the spirit of giving your brain something delightful to chew on, here's a highly official, extremely scientific investigation nobody asked for:
Which Halloween characters would make the best peer support workers?
How We're Ranking Them
This list uses a sophisticated rubric composed of the qualities that make a great peer support worker, and then applies them to fictional beings who did not ask for this job.
We're testing characters on things like:
- How well they hold space
- Their active listening skills, and
- Boundary skills (or lack thereof)
These are the metrics.
Are they fair? Absolutely not.
Did I literally just make them up? 100%!
Let's begin.
10. Michael Myers
Halloween Peer Support Rating: 0/10
He holds space. That's it. That's the whole skill set.
Michael never speaks, never leaves, and never, ever gives feedback. If he facilitated a group, nobody would share — because he'd be standing in the corner in a mask, breathing.
To be fair, he does have one peer support skill: he shows up. Everywhere. Uninvited. Forever.
It's just that the session always ends with someone getting hurt.
9. Freddy Krueger
A Nightmare on Elm Street Peer Support Rating: 2/10
Worst boundaries in the business. Freddy doesn't wait for you to open up — he breaks into your dreams and makes your trauma about his one-liners.
You: "I had a nightmare last night."
Freddy: "I WAS the nightmare."
He'd remember everything you said, weaponize it, and then do jazz hands. Great recall. Terrifying ethics.
8. Chucky
Child's Play Peer Support Rating: 3/10
Tiny. Furious. Swears like a sailor.
Chucky listens — briefly — just long enough to find the soft spot, and then he stabs it. His emotional regulation is nonexistent, his conflict resolution style is a kitchen knife, and he holds a grudge forever.
Group would be unforgettable. Also possibly a crime scene.
7. Pennywise
It Peer Support Rating: 4/10
Assessment skills: elite. Pennywise figures out your deepest fear in about four seconds flat.
Then he eats it.
He knows your trauma. He just doesn't care about it. He'd hand you a balloon, call it a coping strategy, and float away while you cried.
Points for curiosity. Negative points for everything after that.
6. Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Peer Support Rating: 5/10
Chaotic good. Zero filter. Shows up late, loud, with a handbook nobody asked for, and derails every session within minutes.
But here's the thing: Beetlejuice understands one real principle. Say the name of the thing out loud three times and it appears. That's basically how naming a feeling works.
He just uses it for evil. And real estate fraud.
5. Wednesday Addams
Wednesday Peer Support Rating: 6/10
Wednesday will not comfort you. She will not hug you. She will not tell you "good vibes only."
What she will do is sit in the dark with you, tell you the exact truth, and respect your boundaries ferociously.
She's the only person on this list who would never, ever say "just stay positive." That alone is worth six points.
4. Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein Peer Support Rating: 7/10
Lived experience in spades. He's gentle, he's lonely, and he knows exactly what it's like to be made by someone and then abandoned by them.
He just wants a friend. He'd be the group member who cries first — and makes it safe for everyone else to cry second.
Docked points only because he occasionally throws things when overwhelmed. Same, honestly.
3. Casper
Casper Peer Support Rating: 8/10
The only ghost on this list who actually wants to help. Friendly, kind, shows up every time, never scares you on purpose.
The obvious question: can he hold space if he can't hold anything? Fair. But he tries. Every single time. That's more than most people manage.
He'd bring snacks. He'd just float through the table trying to set them down.
2. Morticia Addams
The Addams Family Peer Support Rating: 9/10
Calm. Unbothered. Accepts you exactly as you are.
Morticia would never try to fix you. She likes you weird. She never panics, never judges, and her presence alone makes the whole room exhale.
She's the facilitator who says almost nothing — and somehow that's the most supportive thing in the world.
Why not a ten? She might be slightly too cool to run an icebreaker.
1. Gomez Addams
The Addams Family Peer Support Rating: 10/10
The undisputed champion.
Gomez is passionate, devoted, and completely unbothered by your darkness. He'd love you at your weirdest, celebrate your smallest win like you won the lottery, and throw you a party for surviving Tuesday.
He feels everything. He says so. He means it.
The perfect 10.
Bonus: Count Dracula
A Halloween Peer Support Worker Honorable Mention
Peer Support Rating: Unlimited
He checks in every night. He remembers everything about you.
And he literally cannot cross a boundary without an invitation. Consent skills: unmatched.
The blood thing is a red flag, obviously. But the boundaries? Flawless.
He's not on the Top 10 list, but he gets a cameo. Dracula energy is undefeated.
Conclusion
If you've made it to the end of this list, I hope it gave you a small exhale, a moment to laugh at the season instead of being swallowed by it.
You've carried a lot this year, whether people saw it or not.
So take this as permission to enjoy something light, something silly, something that doesn't ask anything from you.
And hey… at least now we all know Gomez Addams would run the world's best support group.
For practical tools you can use right away, check out my guides, starting with a free one.
Until next time, I'm Jeff — take care of yourself, however that looks for you.
