Training & Consultation

I am an experienced trainer who specializes in two main areas: trainings for peer support workers, and trainings for congregations and faith leaders seeking to more sensitively address mental health issues. In recent years I have expanded my trainings to anyone interested in learning more about hard to talk about issues such as suicide, extreme states (such as hearing voices or seeing things other do not), and how to provide better support to queer, trans, and gender expansive people.

I regularly consult on program design, curriculum development, and best practices for peer to peer support. I have direct experience developing and operating a peer run crisis respite led by and for people with mental health, trauma, and substance use histories.

Event Facilitation

I am a skilled facilitator who values striking a balance between following a structured agenda and leaving enough space for creative ideas to come forward when a group begins to move in unplanned directions.

I facilitate events that last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Some examples include:
– Large group meetings (using consensus decision making techniques).
– Retreats (either with a spiritual focus or non-religious wellness or workplace gatherings).
– Critical incident debriefing using trauma informed approaches for reflection and holding space for a range of emotional responses.

Co-reflective Supervision

I contract with agencies to provide supervising guidance to peer support workers so that they can access support, confidential space for candid self-reflection, and strategies for maintaining fidelity to the peer support role. Social service systems are beginning to realize what peer support workers have been saying for decades: the clinical supervision model used by therapists and similar providers to debrief on their caseloads is not an adequate model for the unique, non-clinical role of the peer specialist worker. The “supervision” model I offer for peer support workers is grounded in the co-reflection model (for those trained in Intentional Peer Support), as well as current research, best practices, and relevant certification standards for peer support workers.