Documenting Peer Support

Speaker:  Ann Rider

The guidelines are specific to Medicaid-funded programs and are still applicable to any kind of documentation. In addition to a discussion of Medicaid guidelines, we will present a simple format that works well for peer support in any setting. Bring your questions!

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Building Ethical Relationships

Speaker: Sarah Jensen

This workshop caters to certified peer counselors in rural areas. Learn how to effectively  nurture, and end a peer relationship(s). Learn how to integrate into a clinical team in a non-clinical manner in order to prove effective peer support.

 

 

Sarah Jensen

Sarah Jensen is the owner and founder of Holistic Solutions as well as a Certified Peer Counselor and a Wraparound/WISe Parent Partner. Before becoming a business owner and Certified Peer Counselor, Sarah participated in the Dr. Marsha Linehan’s DBT program and the Behavior Research Training Center.

In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, photography and spending time with her family. Sarah is available for continued support and consolation and can be reached by email at SMJ1080@hotmail.com.

Ethics and Boundaries

Speaker:  Beth Gould

Experience a solid overview of Ethics and Boundaries for Peer Specialists using real scenarios. This lively workshop was created using the ethical guidelines created by the International Association of Peer Supporters (iNaps), which were developed along with working peer specialists.

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Wellness and Balance in the Workplace

Speaker:  Mia Cox

As a parent partner in community mental health, being a working professional and single mom, I have learned the importance of having tools to create appropriate work/life balance and maintaining wellness. In this brief introduction to Work -Life Balance and Wellness, we will explore solutions to common challenges such as; taking work home with you, carving out time for self-care, organization, time management, boundaries, prioritizing and maintaining healthy relationships.

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Trauma Informed Peer Support

Speaker: Leah Harris

Healing from trauma happens in relationship: we know this from both neuroscience and from lived experience. And it’s why peer support is at the center of any trauma-informed program or approach. But what does it mean to provide “trauma-informed” peer support? This webinar will provide an introductory overview of the principles of trauma-informed approaches and their application to peer support through the development of mutual, reciprocal relationships. Other topics to be covered include: peer support and self-awareness; trauma and its impact; trauma and substance use; and cultural considerations.

Leah Harris

Leah Harris is a Holding the Hope speaker for 2018 Webinar.Leah Harris, M.A., is a mother, advocate, and storyteller who has written and spoken widely about her lived experiences of trauma, addiction, mental health challenges, and healing/resilience. She is passionate about promoting trauma-informed approaches across systems, sectors, and communities, and is a national lead trainer in the Trauma-Informed Peer Support curriculum developed for SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care. She is also a suicide attempt survivor who works to help change our national approach to suicide prevention and intervention to be more trauma-responsive and informed by the lived experience of attempt and loss survivors. Leah is also devoted to sharing mind-body resilience skills and creative expressive arts, including theatre and storytelling, as vehicles for trauma resolution and personal and collective healing and empowerment. To learn more about her and her work visit leahidaharris.com

Suicide Prevention

Speaker:  Mary Jadwisiak

The peers we work with are at increased risk of suicide.  This workshop will provide you with the skills you need to identify when a person may be at risk of suicide and how to respond.  You will learn how to C.A.R.E.  Connect, Ask, Refer, Encourage all within the bounds of your agency’s protocols. (more…)

Workplace Advocacy for Yourself

Speaker:  Maggie Taylor 

Self-advocacy is vital to this relatively new field; providers within the clinical setting may struggle to incorporate peers in a meaningful way. It is the responsibility of the RSS to educate and raise awareness, as to not only the importance of RSS’s but to what is/ not acceptable expectations.

Recover Support Specialist are unique and effective contributors to traditional services, but only when they are able to share their wisdom and expertise freely… the goal of this webinar is to provide RSS’s with real life examples, and advice to aide them in initiating constructive conversations that will allow them to establish trust and understanding with co-workers and staff within the working environment.

Maggie Taylor

Maggie Taylor is a Holding the Hope speaker for 2018 Webinar.Maggie Taylor is a Recovery Support Specialist, who has a Bachelor’s in Human Services with a minor in Psychology. She is the Advocacy and Education Program Manager, at Advocacy Unlimited, and has formerly served in the field as a Community Bridger. Maggie feels that it was an act of faith that brought her to the peer movement; she was working as a Nutrition Educator when she received an email with an invitation to a CT Hearing Voices Network training. At that training Maggie met peers from Focus on Recovery, and instantly knew that she had found “her tribe” and started working there shortly after. “I could not imagine working with people in any other capacity outside of the peer role; my hope is that I am able to combine both, my education and lived experience to communicate issues that broaden the perspectives of both, people living with diagnoses, and their communities.

Strategic Storytelling

Telling Your Story with Lorrin Gehring

Your story of recovery is what gives you authority. Knowing how and when to disclose your story is a big part of the effectiveness of your work as a peer. This workshop will help you sort out the power of telling your story.

Tools for Learning and Teaching

Telling Your Story Links

  • This virtual event explores experiences of young people in recovery who share their stories to create change. Recovery movement leaders share ideas about maximizing impact and minimizing risk when telling personal stories.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi0KvDa4g3c
  • Telling Your Recovery Story: Giving Meaning and Purpose to Your Pain by Using It to Help Someone
    by Ken Braiterman
    http://mentalhealthrecovery.com/info-center/telling-your-recovery-story/
  • Sharing your journey on living with mental illness can be one of the most difficult things to do. We are afraid of judgment, rejection, and that people will think differently of us. Ironically, the more you tell your story, the more you will find that people can relate on a personal level whether that be with them as an individual or a family member. Your story can break down walls. It can create bonds of friendship and trust with peers. It can help others feel not so alone in their illness. It can also help on your own path to recovery. Chrissie and Jody talk about what it was like to learn to tell their story and also give some tips on learning how to get started. It is our duty to get our stories out to the world so we can start changing the stigma on how others view mental illness! Join us! We want to hear your journey! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk8brIiIzYU
  • Peer specialists share their stories to assist clients in recovery
    https://isthmus.com/news/news/peer-specialists-share-their-stories-to-assist-clients-in-recovery/

Lorrin Gehring

Lorrin Gehring is a Holding the Hope speaker for 2018 Webinar.Lorrin Gehring, is a passionate leader who began advocating for youth rights in her early teen years. In her career she has been fortunate to serve as an Advocate, a Case Manager, a Resource Specialist, a Social Marketer, a Director, a Teacher and a Peer.

In each of these positions she has advocated for young people to have a voice and choice in their lives and the systems that serve them. She has authored numerous articles on youth involvement and is the 2011 Voice Award recipient for excellence in the field of youth advocacy, as well as the 2012 Marlene Matarese Advocate for Youth Rockstar awardee. Lorrin is currently the Program Director for Statewide Youth Sound in Washington. Her favorite color is green, and she is an award-winning karaoke singer holding a first-place award for best worst karaoke performance- she’s got passion.