Peer Support Agencies: Personal Paths Toward Wellness

April 1, 2021

Handouts

Transcript:

0:01
We’re live, so good afternoon, everyone.


0:07
I’m Michelle Wagner and I’m with Nami, Sure working on the first episode Psychosis Early Serious Mental Illness Initiative.


0:14
The project is coordinated by NAMI New Hampshire with major support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration along with the Bureau of Mental Health Services within DHHS.


0:26
Thank you for joining us for our next webinar in the armored NH series.


0:30
Today’s presentation is being recorded and you will be able to find it on the edition page of armorednh.org.


0:38
Our topic today is peer support agencies, personal paths towards Wellness and in this webinar want to give a content warning.


0:47
Some of the panelists might bring up things around trauma, suicide, etcetera.


0:52
And we want to give you a chance to prepare yourself in case you find any of these things activating.


0:58
This is a Zoom webinar.


1:00
Your camera and microphone are off.


1:02
There is a chat and Q&A feature, so please enter any questions you have there.


1:07
Martha Dory, who’s a silent partner with us today will be helping field those questions.


1:12
So now I’d like to introduce our panel who’s joining us today.


1:16
We have Susan Seidler, the Executive Director of Stepping Stone and Next Step Peer Support and Crisis Respite Centers.


1:23
Jude Grofier is also here today.


1:25
She is the pro director and youth peer support organizer at Menad Notary of Peer Support.


1:31
And we have Adam Hat, who is a member at Menad Notary of Peer Support.


1:36
We welcome you all.


1:38
We brought the panel together today because the value of peer support is well documented.


1:43
We don’t need research studies to tell us that going to someone who’s had a similar experience is invaluable.


1:50
Yet the state’s 14 peer support centers are unknown to many folks who aren’t sure what peer support is or where to find it.


1:59
So Susan, I’m going to turn to you.


2:01
What are peer support agencies?


2:04
Thank you, Michelle, and welcome everyone.


2:08
Peer Support in New Hampshire started as a grassroots movement in the early 90s, when people using mental health services said they needed a voice and a choice.


2:20
And what began as a localized support system evolved into today’s statewide network of peer support agencies for PSA’s.


2:31
New Hampshire’s mental health system has 10 regions, each with a community mental Health Center, and APSAPSA’s operate fourteens, peer support centers and one outreach led by 8 executive directors and governed by eight boards of directors each.


2:53
PS:.


2:54
A is an independent 501C3, not-for-profit, and contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide peer support for adults 18 years and older.


3:06
And our contracts are funded with a combination of New Hampshire general funds and federal block grant funds administered through the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration or SAMSA and Susan.


3:24
These puts peer support agencies aren’t new, right?


3:27
They’ve been around for a long time.


3:31
Yes.


3:31
Stepping stone was incorporated in 95, so and you know, in in as a PS:.


3:38
A with a contract shortly thereafter.


3:42
So yeah, they’ve been around for a while in one or another.


3:46
Yeah.


3:47
And I think a lot of people have no idea they exist; think they might be something new.


3:51
But the reality is many of them have been around for decades.


3:56
Thank you, Susan.


3:57
Jude, I’m going to turn to you.


3:58
What makes someone appear?


4:02
Yeah, so that’s a great question, Michelle.


4:05
So sort of the standard definition is that it’s anyone who self identifies as someone who has lived experience with mental health in order to come to a peer support agency.


4:18
You can have a diagnosis around your mental health, but you certainly don’t need one.


4:24
And in my instance, what makes me appear is that I have lived experience with trauma, I’ve experienced voice hearing, and I’m someone who survived a suicide attempt.


4:40
So, you know, mental health is very personal to each person.


4:45
And it’s sort of like our stories that we tell are what make us fierce.


4:53
So that’s kind of my answer for that.


4:58
I know when we had talked before in preparation for today, Susan, I think you would said we don’t deal in diagnosis.


5:08
Can you speak to that a little bit?


5:12
Well, as Jude was saying, and she’ll get a little more into this in a few minutes, is folks who come to us come to us because they have a need and they want a change, and that is defined.


5:34
And however that person defines that on any given day.


5:39
And putting a label of a diagnosis on that opens the door for assumptions.


5:49
And we don’t want to make assumptions.


5:51
We want to listen to what people have to say and form relationships based on what we learn from each other, not what we think.


6:02
The definition of something in a book to find someone else, right?


6:10
No.


6:10
Don’t want to put limits or fences around people.


6:14
Thank you, Jude.


6:15
What?


6:16
What is peer support?


6:19
Yeah.


6:21
Susan, I think that that was a really helpful answer and I I love that you asked that question.


6:32
So what is peer support?


6:34
Peer support is a relational system of giving and receiving support based on what each person decides is helpful, and it’s created out of mutually supportive relationships.


6:49
Peer support in New Hampshire is based on intentional peer support known as IPS and the Wellness Recovery action plan known as WRAP.


6:58
So, so these are two of the main peer support modalities that we use.


7:04
So I want to talk a little bit about Intentional Peer Support, and I want to talk a little bit about WRAP, just to give some context.


7:13
So intentional peer support has actually roots in New Hampshire and its founder is Sherry Mead and it’s been around for a while.


7:28
It’s a best practice and intentional peer support is and I’m just a disclaimer, I am going to be kind of using some of the language off the websites from Intentional Peer Support and from the Wellness Recovery Action Plan.


7:46
So if you look, if you look these up on the Internet, you’ll you’ll see some of like very similar language.


7:54
Just full disclaimer there.


7:57
So intentional peer support is a way of thinking about and inviting transformative relationships.


8:05
So it’s a practice and practitioners learn to use relationships to see things from new angles, develop greater awareness of personal and relational patterns and support and challenge each other and trying new things.


8:20
Intentional peer support is unique from traditional Human Services because intentional peer support relationships are viewed as partnerships and inspire both parties to learn and grow, rather than one person needing to help each other.


8:37
Intentional peer support doesn’t start with an assumption of a problem.


8:42
With IPS, you know, we’re trying to pay attention to how each of us has come to know what we know and to think about using the relationship to find new ways of thinking, seeing and doing.


8:59
Another thing that’s really important around intentional peer support is that it’s trauma informed, right.


9:06
And so we know that a lot of folks who are given a mental health diagnosis have experienced trauma.


9:13
And so one of those key pieces around being trauma informed is about asking, well, what happened, not so much what’s wrong.


9:24
There’s also, you know, IPS is also really built on mutuality.


9:31
So trying to pull in the mutual accountability in individual relationships and then that sort of like spreading out into our larger communities and also trying to keep a focus on what we want in our lives, what we’re moving towards because then it can get really easy to stay focused like on a problem.


9:53
To switch gears and go on to our next one of a peer support modality is the Wellness Recovery Action Plan.


10:01
And the Wellness Recovery Action Plan is also known as WRAP, which is really easy, right.


10:07
And so it’s a self-designed prevention and Wellness process that anybody can use to get well, stay well, and go on to do the things in their lives that they want to do with their lives.


10:20
It was developed in 97 by a group of people, including Mary Ellen Copeland, who were searching for ways to find new ways of relating to mental health and to move on to fulfilling and achieving their life goals and dreams.


10:38
And so originally it started out with a focus on mental health, and then it broadened out into, well, you can use it for health concerns like diabetes, you can use it for veterans, you can use it for dealing with trauma, you can use it for young people.


10:57
It just became something that wasn’t solely based on mental health.


11:04
And I think that’s another thing about peer support, where it’s not just about your mental health, It’s about like your whole life and what you want to do with your whole life, right.


11:15
And so, you know, a couple of things that I want to highlight really quickly with WRAP is that there’s this focus on Wellness tools, so things that you do every day that help you to feel well.


11:28
And that could be as simple as going for a walk, calling a friend, doing something creative and then there’s like a daily plan.


11:38
So things that you need to do every day to stay well and then how to like identify things that could be stressors and have action plans for when you want to deal with those stressors.


11:52
There’s also like a crisis plan and a post crisis plan.


11:56
And the thing about RAP also that sets it apart is it, it is a peer support evidence-based practice that’s recognized by SAMSA.


12:10
So that makes it very unique in that.


12:14
And I know that the biggest thing to highlight around peer support in all of the peer support agencies is that they’re voluntary.


12:24
And so that’s a that’s a really you know, big piece of it.


12:29
So if I went to a peer support center, I would have the option of doing a WRAP plan, which is a really useful tool.


12:37
But I but there would be no pressure for me to do so.


12:40
Absolutely, yeah.


12:42
You you are welcome to participate in anything that happens at a peer support agency.


12:50
You’re sort of like what interests you and and what you’re what you’re comfortable with.


12:56
You know that it’s, it’s really important that people connect to peer support at their own pace.


13:03
So cafeteria style, pick and choose what you want.


13:09
Well, Adam, I’m going to turn to Adam, who is indeed a member at the Nana Peer Support.


13:14
So Adam, you tell us a little bit of your story and how you learned about peer support.


13:20
Absolutely, Michelle.


13:22
Well, I’ve been suffering from social anxiety and depression since about when I was 12, and last year I turned 40 and it was really the the worst birthday of my life.


13:38
I was isolated and alone in my apartment.


13:42
And I really, I spent most of my day sleeping and the highlight was was going to the store and getting some beer, you know, to make my day entertaining.


13:55
And I think there was a point where I spent about a week in in bed and it was just, it was miserable, you know.


14:02
And I was like, this is not how I want to live.


14:05
But I don’t see a way out of this.


14:08
So I thought, you know I’ll contact some of my old high school friends and I just tell them how much their friendship meant to me back back in the day.


14:17
You know when I when I had friends because at this point I didn’t have any friends and I figured they’d be they’d probably be ****** at me because I kind of disappeared you know with the social anxiety kind of avoid people and it’s hard to connect but they were actually happy to hear from me and and it was nice, you know and some some of my friends actually live like 1/2 an hour away.


14:39
So we just started chatting and and I started hanging out with them and I felt I felt really good about myself.


14:46
I felt like I have a friend now and maybe this is going to change, and I was really hopeful for the future.


14:54
And I would say you know that was that was great.


14:59
That was like a high point up until then and my lease was up.


15:05
I wanted to get out of my single room apartment where I was alone and and I had the opportunity to to move in you know get an apartment with the my friends and I thought it was going to be great, you know so we we so I signed a lease.


15:20
We signed a year lease.


15:22
And when I got there I learned that the walls here are very thin.


15:28
You can hear everything.


15:30
And for me, I’ve always assumed the worst.


15:34
When I hear people walking down the street, I used to think well, the first thing I would think that they’re talking about me, you know and it’s  weird because you know that they’re not.


15:47
But for me then it was that’s the first thought that came to my mind.


15:52
So when you live in a in an apartment with other people and and you hear talking for me, I would assume the worst.


16:02
Really they’re talking about me.


16:05
They’re they’re making fun of me this and that.


16:07
So it became like a really bad environment for me.


16:11
I started drinking more and more and that positive outlook that I had it was gone.


16:16
I was like this is I’m stuck here.


16:18
I I’m in a lease I can’t get out of this so but luckily I did have my family and I reached out to them and my my mom and my stepdad.


16:34
Especially I you know I needed to get out of this environment.


16:39
I need to get into a quiet environment you know where I could just try to figure out how to deal with this.


16:43
You know, whether it be somehow break the lease or, I don’t know, run away, you know, So they were in Florida and I and I went to their their house about 1/2 an hour away.


16:55
And at this point I I did have a therapist that I’d only been seeing for a couple months.


17:02
And you know, when you have a therapist, it’s important that you spend time with them and kind of open up as best you can.


17:09
So she didn’t really know me that well.


17:10
And I had, you know, meds.


17:13
I had a psychiatrist, but my next appointment was like 3 months away and there was no way I could get that moved up.


17:21
So I was stuck with what the meds that weren’t working.


17:23
I was had one day a week where I could talk to someone and I need more support.


17:30
So I had been in an intensive outpatient program maybe seven years prior and we did some things there that that were helpful.


17:42
So I thought, you know, I will try and find an intensive outpation program.


17:47
I wanted to avoid hospitalization.


17:48
That’s always scared the hell out of me.


17:51
And I would do anything to avoid that.


17:55
So this is the route I went.


17:58
Turns out that is hard to do.


18:00
It’s it’s very hard to find an intensive outpatient program that’s, you know, accepting someone right now.


18:05
You know, you’re going to have to wait.


18:07
And I didn’t have time to wait.


18:09
I was, although I was out of that noisy environment, I was now isolated, alone.


18:20
So I I figured, you know, I got, I got to try and do some of the things I learned and grow.


18:31
And so I started doing some of the things I learned in the IOP and I talked to my therapist and she suggested that I I check out the peer support and I having social anxiety talking to other people.


18:49
It’s it’s just the most frightening thing ever.


18:53
But I needed the support and so you know that’s when I decided I’ll check it out.


19:02
You know I went on the website and I I saw the group say they had check in and check out and the next day I actually I connected to Zoom and I joined a group and I didn’t know what to expect.


19:17
I wasn’t going to like put my face on Zoom or anything.


19:20
I wasn’t even going to like I didn’t even want to participate.


19:22
I just wanted to listen.


19:24
And so I I logged on and it was, it was amazing because these were people that were talking about their day and they were having bad days and I was having a bad day.


19:37
And you know, I I could share that with them and I realized this is a really good environment for me because no one’s judging me.


19:45
I’m not getting any advice.


19:48
They’re just saying thank you.


19:49
So I think I I shared that day actually and it felt good and I just, it kept on day in the next day.


20:02
And so that’s how I.


20:06
Involved with the peer support and that was about four months ago.


20:13
I guess I say though it’s really it was been really helpful.


20:16
But yeah early December is when I started and it’s just been so helpful and unique a unique experience and that’s one of the reasons I’m so glad to be here because I didn’t know about this this is something that who you know someone told me I wouldn’t have known if my therapist hadn’t mentioned it and so if this you know if we can reach people that’s really be a great thing.


20:42
So so we had in the chat and all of us here noticed you’re breaking up a little bit that’s why it interjected Jen cuz I was the yeah I thought we’d lost you but you came back so just a little bit of technical trouble and we might have just lost Susan.


20:58
We’ll see.


21:00
So about four months ago, it was your counselor who invented that.


21:04
You go there, which are really important points.


21:07
You joined during during the pandemic, so you were confined to Zoom when you you joined in.


21:16
When did you realize that peer support was different from additional mental health services like your therapy that you were getting or case management?


21:25
How did, how was it different?


21:26
How did you know that?


21:28
I realized that right away because not only could you say pretty much anything that you might not want to share with, with a therapist or psychiatrist, just, you know, for me, I, you know, I never, I never told them the whole thing because I was always scared, you know, I don’t want to get locked up.


21:46
That was my was my biggest fear.


21:47
So, you know, I was held back.


21:49
But this is a confidential environment where you can you can say pretty much anything and there’s no judgment.


21:57
It’s supportive and it’s available five days a week.


22:01
That’s that’s the kind of support I needed.


22:03
I one day a week was not enough.

22:05
 I needed, that I needed five days a week.


22:07
If I could have done, say, if it could have been seven days a week, that would have been great.


22:10
But you know, five days a week was good and also there’s no cost.


22:16
That’s great.


22:16
I don’t have to worry about my insurance not accepting it.


22:19
So those are some major differences that I noticed right away.


22:28
Oops.


22:28
When someone comes to a support agency, what does that look like?


22:32
What would a typical day be like?


22:38
Well, for me, I think the first step, you know, when you learn about it, you probably go on the website and check it out and see what they have.


22:48
And since there’s no really, there’s no commitment you can really pick and choose a la carte what you want to do.


22:56
But it’s it’s available.


22:59
Can you shut off your video for us Cuz I think bandwidth might be an issue.


23:04
Absolutely.


23:05
Great.


23:06
Thanks.


23:07
All right.


23:07
So yeah, it’s for me when I attend the meetings, I it gives me a reason to wake up early for the 9:00 check in.


23:17
And you know, so I’ll wake up with like 8 and and think about what I want to talk about and reflect on my previous day and how I’m feeling.


23:28
And then I get to share that.


23:30
And if I’m having a bad day, it really helps to have a good day.


23:34
It it’s it’s great to share that too.


23:37
And so, you know, you start your day off on a, on a, on a for me, a positive note and you know you have your day, whatever you do maybe I know throughout the week they have different meetings you can attend also like depression, bipolar, etcetera.


23:59
But then at 4:00 there’s the checkout.


24:01
And checkout is great because you can talk about how your day went and you can see the people you saw before.


24:09
And it’s really nice to end the day like that for me.


24:13
It brings me like, it brings me hope for the next day, you know, so structure today, opening, closing time in between.


24:25
Just a really nice way to fill up your time if otherwise you would be home alone.


24:31
So really?


24:32
Yeah.


24:33
Yeah.


24:38
Jude.


24:38
Could we ask you what is general programming that you can find at the peer support centers?


24:42
Adam talked about some of the the steps that he took along the way throughout the day.


24:48
What’s up there?


24:50
Yeah, I think just to to add to what Adam or to go back to what Adam was saying about it being free, like that’s one of probably the biggest things.


25:02
And again, voluntary.


25:04
So you know you get to decide how you want to engage and and when you want to engage and how much you want to engage.


25:14
All of the programming that we offer at peer support agencies is non clinical and non medical peer support.


25:24
So I think that that’s an important thing for folks to know.


25:29
Everybody on staff also has lived experience with mental health to some degree or another.


25:37
So usually when folks come in, they’re talking with someone who like gets it, someone who understands it from their own experiences.


25:49
So another piece is that all of the staff are trained in peer support.


25:55
So they have gone through or are or are going to go through training and intentional peer support in the Wellness Recovery Action Plan in another modality called Whole Health Action Management or Wham.


26:16
Each center has a newsletter that members can contribute to and participate in, So a lot of the newsletters have arts and writing, and people also can subscribe to the newsletter.


26:32
So if you’re interested in a particular agency or you just want to hear from all of the peer support agencies, you can just subscribe to get their newsletter and those are either sent out via e-mail or sent out via snail mail.


26:47
So another piece that Adam already touched on is that there are different kinds of groups that you can go to.


26:55
So some there are, there are definitely a lot of support groups that really focus on Wellness and you know, being able to talk about whatever is going on for you.


27:07
There are also activity groups such as like art, creative writing, music.


27:16
It all depends on the center and what the members have decided that they want to see in the center.


27:23
So another piece that’s really important to mention too is that each center tries as much as possible to be member driven and member run.


27:32
So for members to have an active voice in the kind of programming that they want to see is really important.


27:40
They’re also physical, well-being groups.


27:43
So things like walking, weight loss, yoga, dancing and all of this, you know, it’s pretty general.


27:49
So it varies from center to center.


27:53
You also might find groups about WRAP, you might find groups about intentional peer support.


27:59
And I know that we have talked a lot about groups, but there is also the opportunity to have one-on-one peer support.


28:06
So sometimes you might not be ready to share in like a group setting and so being able to talk to someone one-on-one who gets it can be really connecting, right.


28:18
And so that one-on-one peer support might be available via phone.


28:24
Some centers are partially open so that people can come in with really limited space because we’re all trying to observe, you know, physical distancing and masks and all of the safety procedures that we all need to use right now with the pandemic.


28:44
But that that is another important piece that you can get one-on-one peer support either in person, over the phone or via zoom.


28:54
Another piece is that the centers offer kind of monthly educational events.


29:01
So we might have a guest speaker come in and talk about things like housing, employment, community colleges, all all kinds of things, anything that you could consider educational, which is pretty much the entire world.


29:23
Also, some of the centers have community gardens.


29:28
So just to talk a little bit about things that we that centers have been able to do before COVID is transportation.


29:38
Some centers offer transportation to and from the center.


29:41
Now some centers are not able to offer that because of COVID.


29:48
So that’s a piece.


29:51
There’s also one of the things that we loved being able to do is for people to be able to take trips every month.


30:01
So things like going to an aquarium, County Fair, going shopping, all kinds of of different trips that members you know have voted on that they want to go to and what they want to see.


30:18
And you’ll notice that I’m using the word members.


30:20
So because we’re nonclinical, it is a place where you know, by calling someone a member, it gives a chance for people to invest in what they want to see out of the center as averse to calling them a client.


30:38
And also something that’s important to know around the idea of membership is that there are member meetings or community meetings where people are able to get together and discuss what’s going on at the center, things that are working well, things that aren’t things that they want to vote on.


30:56
And members actually are the ones who are able to vote in our Board of Directors.


31:04
And Speaking of the Board of directors, something that’s important to know is that at least 51% of the Board of directors need to be people who self-identify as having lived experience.


31:18
So like that’s a really important piece and it being like a member driven community and only folks who are members can vote the board of directors fully in.


31:31
Now you might ask well what does it cost to be a member And the cool thing is its as Adam mentioned, it’s free, you know.


31:39
So I, I love that about this.


31:41
So going back to a little bit more about the programming before COVID, we were able to offer like this wonderful kind of like community lunches or family style and things like that.


31:54
And that’s something I know people really miss a lot, but we try to connect in ways that we can.


32:01
Also centers are open anywhere from 5 days to seven days a week, but at minimum they’re open 44 hours a week.


32:11
So that’s that’s something that various centers are are working to get back up to those full 44 hours with everything that has happened with COVID and shutdowns and all those pieces.


32:27
And the other piece is that if you wanted to check out a board meeting, it is open to the public unless the board goes like into executive session or you know, the different things that that boards do.


32:42
But I I think the, the piece that’s important to highlight is that it is about it being voluntary.


32:49
It is about choice.


32:51
It is about ownership.


32:53
You know, it is a place where people can come in and decide how involved they want to be, when they want to be involved and have an active stake in being part of a community that is open and talking about mental health but also invested in, you know, living their lives, you know, and moving towards what they want.


33:19
That just made me think of a couple of things.


33:21
First of all, with Zoom, we’re not limited by geography, right?


33:25
So these 14 centers around the state folks could attend, maybe any of them by a Zoom as long as that lasts.


33:34
And the other thing is I think about this mutuality and that the fact of being able to share with someone with similar experience.


33:42
So we know that there’s stigma around mental health.


33:45
So even though whatever percentage of the population, and it’s a large one, you know, 25, whatever is dealing with some form of mental health challenge, it doesn’t get talked about out in the general public.


33:57
I think about the fact like other topics like if I was having a hip surgery, I’d talk to somebody who’d had their hip replaced because that would be common discussion or divorce, you know, 50% of the population’s divorced.


34:10
So I would openly talk with people who are divorced, and I would seek those people out to talk with them because it’s just intuitive to find someone who has a similar experience and wants to talk with them.


34:21
So peer support is really a crucial link in the mental health Wellness and recovery puzzle.


34:29
So Susan, I would like to turn to you, can you highlight some of the special initiatives that are taking place at at the centers?


34:38
Yes.


34:39
And as Jude mentioned, those onsite peer support services are, are parts of all of the contracts that we have with the department.


34:51
And in addition, some PS


34:54
A’s are contracted to operate other statewide resources as well.


35:01
Warm Line is telephone support that is available every evening and offers peers a way to connect when the centers are closed.


35:13
Peer respite is a 24-hour short term nonmedical support for peers in crisis as defined by the individual.


35:25
As with all peer support, Respite is free, voluntary, and staffed with peers.


35:32
Currently we have two bedrooms each in the PSA’s
35:38
in Claremont, Keene and Nashua and offer homelike environments where guests have privacy as well as opportunities to participate in any way, they would like in what’s going on in the centers and the greater communities outside the centers.


36:02
And our maximum stay is 6 nights seven days and our newest initiative is step up, step down and that is 3 bed recovery-oriented programs with a length of stay up to 90 days to serve as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization or emergency room boarding.


36:33
The step-up step-downs will be operated by the peer support centers in Keene, Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth.


36:41
They will use a non-clinical and non-medical model based on intentional peer support, Wellness Recovery Action Plan and some Secour competencies.


36:52
The programs will be staffed by at least one certified peer specialist who has lived experience with mental illness or cooccurring disorder 24 hours a day when participants are in the program.


37:05
The programs are funded entirely by New Hampshire’s DHHS General Fund and will be free for participants, no insurance required and many PS:.


37:17
A’s also have personalized support groups such as LGBTQI, Hearing Voices, Bet to Bet, and we would encourage you to visit the websites for each of our PS:.


37:34
A’s to see what we’re able to offer now and in what form.


37:41
Like Jude said, we’re in lots of different stages of getting back to higher expectations, let’s put it that way.


37:56
Yeah, yes, the pandemic has been a challenge, and it has brought lots of really good solutions with it.


38:03
So, yeah, and some options going forward, which is terrific.


38:09
And in talking about the step up, step down, Susan, some of those programs are, I mean, they’re developing at this point in time, buying, building, staffing, those sorts of things, right.


38:21
Yes.


38:22
And so the description I gave comes directly from the four directors of the PSA 38:31
A’s who will be standing up those programs.


38:34
And yes, it’s there.


38:37
Again, it’s a dynamic situation.


38:41
Keene is fully operational in their current setting and we’ll be moving to a new site.


38:53
Hearts in Nashua is in the midst of they have a site.


38:58
It’s being retrofitted and connections in Portsmouth are looking for a site almost have a site and Manchester is dealing with the bureaucracy to start up a site that that they would like to to stand up.


39:19
So that is as of a couple of days ago where the step-up step-down is at thank you.


39:26
It just shows the broad array of services that are offered up your support.


39:32
Yeah, depending on people’s needs, whether it’s just a drop in and connect with folks or if it’s heading towards crisis, really covers the runs, the gamut and covers an array of services.


39:46
So Adam, I’d like to come back to you, but would you say to someone who’s reluctant to check out peer support because like you, you, you weren’t looking to connect with anyone too soon, but for whatever reason you you managed to come through the door.


40:01
So what would you say to folks?


40:03
Well, I would say, you know, it was for me, it was really a lot of anxiety, and I didn’t think I would ever do something like this.


40:11
But and then the great thing is that the the zoom option exists.


40:15
So there doesn’t need to be a lot of pressure.


40:18
There’s no commitment.


40:20
There’s no, if you miss a day, you’re not going to be billed by your insurance.


40:24
You don’t have to fill out paperwork.


40:27
So you can really take advantage of the programs without having to you know be under a lot of stress to just try out.


40:35
And that’s what I did.


40:35
I I kind of like dip my toe in the water when I first joined that that that zoom chat, the check in.


40:42
And I was kind of amazed how quickly, you know, I jumped right into this like because it was so helpful.


40:51
But for someone who is reluctant, I would say go to the website and just read it, read what they offer, maybe do connect to zoom and you don’t have to have your video on.


41:06
You don’t even have to participate.


41:07
You can always pass.


41:08
Anyone can always pass.


41:10
And I think that’s great.


41:11
So there doesn’t have to be a lot of pressure, just, you know, listen and see and I think they will see, I think they will see that these peers, these people.


41:23
For me it was kind of like a kinship you developed with people that you the one thing you know about them is they have similar issues to you.


41:32
And for a long time I thought I was the only one.


41:36
So yeah, I would say it’s definitely a great resource to check out and it doesn’t have to be difficult processed to do it.


41:47
So I think what I’m hearing is you’re not alone.


41:51
Even though we can feel that way when we’re suffering, it feels like we’re the only people in the world who are feeling as miserable as we are.


42:01
And then when you reach in some reach out join a meeting somebody else is having a bad day say hey, OK, it’s not just me.


42:08
It’s a good thing.


42:11
What has peer support brought to your life, Adam would just say always brought a lot of things.


42:15
I think structure and it gives me a routine; you know.


42:20
And for me, having a routine is really great because if I don’t have a reason to get up in the morning, I I will sleep the day away and then feel worse about myself.


42:29
So I can get up, you know, fairly early and prepare for for the first check in.


42:36
That’s great.


42:37
That’s giving me structure and a sense of community is really great.


42:43
Like, I’m not alone.


42:46
I consider all these people my friends, They’re terrific people.


42:50
Everyone that I’ve met has just been been great.


42:54
We’re all different.


42:56
But you you learn that you don’t have to.


43:00
We’re not.


43:01
People are complex and you know, it’s made me a better person really, because I think in the past that I was very judgmental.


43:10
And when you reach the point where you can’t really live like that anymore and you start to open up and and you just meet other people who you would never really have talked to or interacted with in the past you learn a lot from them.


43:26
So personal growth has been amazing for me.


43:30
Also having social anxiety talking is frightening.


43:34
So I can kind of practice you know speaking with my camera on and and communicating in an environment with people who are supportive just by the fact that when I’m done speaking no one says anything.


43:50
But thank you.


43:51
Thank you Adam.


43:52
So it’s it’s really enriched my life.


43:57
I can’t express enough.


44:00
Amazing how far those two words go.


44:03
Thank you.


44:04
Right.


44:05
Yeah.


44:06
Yeah.


44:07
Yeah, definitely.


44:08
And you you are feeling good enough to be to the point where you could join us today and be on this panel.


44:15
So from a guy who didn’t want to have his camera on and wasn’t crazy about going into a group setting, here you are with us today.


44:21
So that’s just over the course of four months, which is just really amazing.


44:26
We have had some questions come into the the chat and Q&A.


44:31
So I did just want to say this one from Christopher Hello and thank you for today’s discussion.


44:36
How do PSA’s


44:37
collaborate, interact, if at all, with peer recovery coaches who may support members who may have a cooccurring disorder.


44:49
Do you want to take this?


44:50
Susan?


44:50
Or I can speak to this in a a general way.


44:56
Anyone is welcome and in in the same way that we do not ask for a mental health diagnosis we will not ask someone who is in recovery about what is your what’s why are you in the substance use community.


45:16
So it’s it’s you know you’re you are welcome anyone is welcome and depending on you know which philosophy to which you subscribe.


45:31
Mental health.


45:31
Behavioral health includes cooccurring disorders.


45:35
It acute.


45:36
It includes substance use and mental illness which came first the chicken or the egg.


45:43
Right.


45:43
And so again we’re we’re not dealing in diagnosis.


45:47
We’re dealing in meeting people where they are at and every PSA


45:52
has a set of member rights, rights and responsibilities and house rules which are generated by the members and approved by the administration and the boards.


46:03
And this is what our expectations are when you are in our centers.


46:09
And if you can agree to respect that and take responsibility, you know, because we all mess up sometimes take responsibility for when that happens, then that’s that’s really our our basic expectation, respect and personal responsibility.


46:30
And so again, one of those initiatives that might be going on more so it’s some PSA’s


46:38
than others is the recovery community.


46:44
We do have some PSA’s


46:45
who have certified recovery coaches and I, you know, I again, I would direct you to the website and Michelle, I’m not sure I see the map and links yet in the chat and they’ll be going there.


47:06
So in that map folks will find the websites for all the PSA’s
47:12

and where the different components that we talked about today are located on the map.


47:21
So I hope that answers your question about the recovery community.


47:24
We’re all in this together and at at the basic level, we’re talking about human beings who are looking for a way to get unstuck and we’re here to support folks.


47:39
So that’s the good segue into a question from Jesse, who says, how can I volunteer?


47:45
How does one become a trained peer support person?


47:53
Sue, do you want to take that one?


47:55
Sure.


47:56
I think the best way to find out about volunteering is to reach out to a specific peer support agency and say, hey, I’m interested in volunteering because different peer support agencies have different opportunities for volunteers in order to.


48:14
And again, different peer support agencies have different ways of training their volunteers.


48:20
I know that I received all of my training because I was on staff at a peer support agency.


48:28
And that has incredibly, it’s just changed my life.


48:34
And I just, you know, just as an aside, like this is kind of like the first time that I’m hearing your story, Adam.


48:44
And I am just like, it just made me cry because you talked about, you know, for me, coming into peer support.


48:53
I was so alone in my experiences, and I was so terrified to talk about them and it and you just said it just about how you’re not alone.


49:05
And I just like Oh my gosh I’ve got to cry.


49:08
So I just I wanted to to say  that that just really touched me.


49:14
I hope that answers the question as well.


49:18
And if I may, before we move on to the next question, Jude, I I had goosebumps at that moment as well.


49:26
And and just also want to say, it’s not as important that you find someone with a similar experience as it is that on a basic level, we can relate to feelings and how we feel about what we went through or what that experience makes us feel like.


49:55
So even though you might never find someone that comes close to your experience, you’re going to find someone who’s experienced pain and fear and hope and you know good things too.


50:09
So I just wanted to put that out there.


50:12
And yes, you’re not alone.


50:16
If there’s one message to to send out there, you are not alone.


50:21
And hearing Adam’s story of connecting is really powerful.


50:26
I think this morning lots of folks in the chat saying how much his story had moved them.


50:33
There also was a question about how to become a trained peer support person.


50:39
So becoming certified IPS, and WRAP, right?


50:44
Does somebody just want to speak to that briefly?


50:50
I can speak briefly.


50:53
We have within the mental health system, we schedule trainings and intentional peer support, rap, Wham or other Wellness or peer support trainings on a yearly schedule that the Bureau of Mental Health approves and that we register folks from all kinds of community agencies.


51:23
That is a basic level for anyone at a peer support agency to have that.


51:28
There is also a a certification process to take that further and take an exam to become a certified peer support specialist.


51:39
And I know that Tom Gredley is was on the call.


51:43
I think he still is And so as far as the requirements for that Tom can let you know exactly what to expect leading up to and what your pre-records it needs to be in order to take that exam and maybe Tom can put his e-mail address in the in the chat for us that would be terrific.


52:04
We do have Ellen who is chiming in and you know to not forget about the folks up north.


52:10
Please remember region one, I noted all step up, step down or in the South and someone also asked about the referral process for step up, step down.


52:21
Yes.


52:21
Again, based on the notes that I was given and it it’s with the latest PowerPoint is, but the step-up, step-down folks are doing around the states.


52:32
The referral will be a phone call and completion of a referral form and then contact with the person who was referred to have a discussion about whether the step up, step down is a good fit.


52:46
So that’s the basic information I have.


52:50
I would expect that the phone call will go to once everything is up and running those numbers will be published on websites.


52:59
Again, I know I keep referring folks to websites.


53:01
It’s just that there’s just so much going on now, so many changes that I at least I know we update information on our website.


53:13
So we’re not trying to update in a lot of different areas and direct people to the website.


53:21
So again, the Manchester, Portsmouth, Nashua and Keene peer support agencies are the ones that will be standing up to step up, step down.


53:34
So I would say they might have some information on the website as far as referrals and folks who go to those including the crisis respite beds that the peer support agencies have that isn’t limited to geographic area.


53:48
And I do know there’s talk about transportation of helping people get from point A to a step-up, step-down unit right or a a peer respite bed as well.


54:00
So even though they’re in the southern part of the state, if we can get folks from the north down there, that would work.


54:09
There was one other point about someone who doesn’t recognize their mental health challenges.


54:19
What if someone is really ill and doesn’t recognize their own illness and has no perspective on it or the need for participating in their own recovery, whatever that might look like.


54:30
And I know myself, I had a loved one that I tried to get to go to peer support because I just knew the value of it and just couldn’t, couldn’t get him there.


54:40
Do you have any recommendations for that?


54:44
I will say a couple things.


54:46
And Jude, if you would piggyback or go completely on the other end of the spectrum, then, where what I’m going to say is that a couple of things stick out for me that the person doesn’t recognize his or her illness.


55:04
Perhaps they do.


55:06
And as a support person or a family member or friend, if someone doesn’t see themselves as you see that person, that can be difficult and that can be heartbreaking.


55:18
And I think we need to meet people where they are at.


55:25
And again, peer support is voluntary, but we we will never, you know, have a case manager present him or herself at the door with someone that says, I’m, we’re telling this person they have to come in because it’s it’s not a prescription, it’s a voluntary option to supplement what you’re getting in your clinical support.


55:47
So Jude, yeah, thanks Suzanne and Michelle for sharing those pieces.


55:54
I mean I think that there are a lot of folks that don’t identify with being ill or feel that they are ill.


56:02
You know so one of the pieces around peer support is, is that it is non-medical, nonclinical.


56:10
And I think the biggest thing that you can offer someone who is struggling is yeah to meet them where they’re at and to love them in the best way that you can.


56:28
I believe in hope you know and and I know that we talked about you know I’m a suicide attempt survivor but there there is always hope and it is really hard to find sometimes but each person has incredible potential to make their life the way that they want to make it and to live it in a way that they want to live it and choice is a is a really powerful factor in in peer support.


57:06
So my heart goes out to you, and you know love is a powerful, powerful change maker and that is a beautiful way to come towards closure in our time together today I did just want to add in thinking about educating folks for the fact that peer support agencies exist and could be useful.


57:33
Adam’s point of his counselor having told him about peer support, I think is a really crucial piece here.


57:41
That folks who are working in the field, if they can remind people that peer support exists and that it might be helpful.


57:49
And maybe not just saying it once, but you might catch the person when their ears are open and they’re ready to hear it.


57:57
So even though us family members sometimes want to be able to push people through the door, other folks can help educate and make people aware of the resources.


58:09
So thank you to Susan, Jude and Adam for joining us today.


58:15
It was terrific to hear from you.


58:17
Thank you for sharing some of your your personal life as well, which was very powerful and moving.


58:24
And just a reminder, you can receive a certificate of attendance for today.


58:30
If you need that, just contact me at m.wagner@naminh.org.


58:36
We will also be having another webinar this month at the end of the month on April 29th.


58:42
That one will be Mental Health and COVID.


58:45
So Doctor Macheri Keshavan will be joining us for that and until then we hope you are all well.


58:52
Be safe and thank you again for joining us.


58:55
Take care.

Scroll to Top
Get Help Now