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A newsletter of the Washington State Health Care Authority Office of Recovery Support. |
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Four new staff have joined our peer team! Learn about our wonderful new additions:
Jacob Sunday
Jacob is a local Washingtonian who grew up in rural Olympia with pets and farms on all sides. He still loves animals but doesn't have pets currently. After a brief time at L&I and DOT, he pivoted to freelancing in film and photography for nearly two decades. He volunteered through the pandemic on the board of directors at the Olympia Film Society. He has two bachelor's degrees from TESC, one in international political economy and the second in television and film production.
In his new role as a program specialist, he will track and certify new peers and applicants. He especially loves to send the certified letter; it is that moment that a new peer has the possibility of spreading infinite ripples of recovery. Outside of work, he continues with his photography and is in production on a stop motion animation film. His other interests include equity, Maslow’s hierarchy of need, art, empathy, dismantling manufactured scarcity and the war on the poor, and finally, the general sense that we're all in this together.
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John Caldwell
John is thrilled to join our peer support team as a program specialist. John has been a certified peer counselor since 2008, and he has over 15 years of experience providing peer support services in volunteer community, local county, and private, non-profit settings.
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Meghan Hickerson
Meghan recently joined our team as program specialist. Her background in project management and writing has allowed her to unite the practical and logical with emotional understanding of the human condition so she can focus on service to and support for others. In her free time, Meghan likes to read, solve puzzles, and get outside. She lives in Walla Walla with her husband, son, and two kitties.
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Marie Marchand
Marie’s two passions are mental health and poetry. In her role as Ellensburg Poet Laureate, she lifts up the healing power of poetry by leading experiential workshops that inspire self-discovery and community-building. She is a certified peer counselor who co-facilitates support groups for NAMI Kittitas, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She served on the board of NAMI Whatcom for four years then, in 2020, helped restart NAMI Kittitas. Her professional leadership experience spans nonprofit, government, and higher education.
She is thrilled to be joining HCA to promote resiliency and peer support in communities throughout Washington. She currently resides in Ellensburg with her husband and two Miniature Pinschers named Benny and Joon.
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Certified peer counselor certification trainings
View a list of upcoming CPC certification trainings in March.
Crisis awareness and communication in peer support (CACPS)
Are you a certified peer working in a crisis setting? Join the crisis awareness and communication in peer support training! This training is 36 hours over the course of five days.
Here is what you need to know:
- Attendees must be certified peer counselors.
- Peers working in crisis settings are given priority.
- Peers must complete the online prerequisite "Power of peer support in crisis services" training to attend this training and download a copy of the certificate to be offered as proof of completion to the hosting training organization.
- Peers must complete the post-traumatic growth survey (sent by the training organization) before the first day of training.
- Peers must attend the training in person.
- Peers must cover their own travel and hotel accommodations.
- Breakfast, refreshments, and lunch, will be provided during the training day.
View upcoming CACPS trainings.
Operationalizing Peer Support training
HCA’s Operationalizing Peer Support (OPS) program supports agencies and organizations who want to begin offering or already offer peer services.
The OPS program is holding free training to support organizations with the implementation and operationalization of their peer programs.
Participants should attend all sessions to best implement their peer programs effectively. Topics will include the history of peer support, the peer role in Washington, laws related to peer services, peer supervision, and more!
- Option 1: February 7, 15, 21, and 28, from 9 a.m. to noon
- Option 2: March 5 and 12, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Option 3, March 6, 13, 20, and 27, from 9 a.m. to noon
Questions? Email the OPS program
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Live event captioning available
Communication Access Real-time Transcription (CART) services, or live closed captioning, are available for events, on demand. Scheduling CART services requires a three-week lead-time.
To request this accommodation, please submit a request as soon as possible to:
Amanda Polley.
If you make your request less than a week in advance of the event, our language access manager cannot guarantee that a CART writer will be available.
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The Washington Peer Network is still looking for peers to become group facilitators! Create positive change in your community, gain invaluable experiences, and make lasting connections.
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Words of wellness in 2024
Learn about ways to center wellness in the new year.
Learn about the Department of Health's peer services work
Are you interested in knowing a little bit more about what the Department of Health (DOH) is doing to support the efforts of recent peer legislation (SSB5555) and moving forward with our Washington State Legislators and the future of licensing for peer services?
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Do you know a CPC or peer-run organization who you think deserves a little extra kudos? We want to highlight them in an upcoming newsletter!
Please email Amanda Polley as much information as possible:
- Name of person/organization
- Their location
- Why are you highlighting them?
- Their picture (optional)
Would you like to have more of an impact on what you see in the Peer-to-Peer newsletter? We would love to hear from you!
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