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A newsletter of the Washington State Health Care Authority Office of Recovery Support. |
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According to The Arc, Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. July marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation that broke down barriers to inclusion in society.
July is also Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which is intended to build awareness of the health disparities faced by racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. According to NAMI, in 2008, July was designated as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month by the U.S. House of Representatives. Bebe Moore Campbell was committed to creating safe spaces for people in communities of color to connect with others who share similar experiences and cultural backgrounds.
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Congratulations to Raquel "Rocky" Schaffer, this year's winner of the Peer of the Year award!
Rocky is a certified peer who serves other peers on behalf of the Cowlitz Tribe in Washington. Rocky had an overwhelming number of nominations for the award, each full of love, adoration, and appreciation for all of her hard work in the community!
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From July 1, 2023 to today, we've certified over 1,700 peers!
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Olympic Health and Recovery Services:
Operationalizing Peer Support (OPS) upcoming trainings
HCA’s Operationalizing Peer Support (OPS) program supports peer supervisors, administrators, and organizations agencies who want to begin offering or enhance their current peer programs.
The OPS program is holding a free, two or four-day 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!
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Option 1: August 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 1 to 4 p.m.
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Option 2: September 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 1 to 4 p.m.
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Option 3: September 12 and 26 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a 30 minute lunch break
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.
Peer Pathways Conference 2024
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Peer Pathways Conference will be held in Yakima, WA on August 21 and 22. The theme is "Standing on the shoulders of giants: The past, the present and future of peer support."
Don't forget to nominate your favorite peers!
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There will be no monthly webinar in July.
Please join us on August 1, with our guest speaker, Amabal Narvaez!
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Need support with your organization's peer support program? Drop in to the Operationalizing Peer Support (OPS) office hours to get help!
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Peer support supervisors can join to review the National Practice Guidelines for Peer Specialists and Peer Supervisors.
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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:
[Enter appropriate contact information]
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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Carrie Matos, a certified peer counselor at the Nisqually Tribe Behavioral Health, has nominated Kelly Kittle this month.
"I am nominating Kelly Kittle, Outreach Manager, certified peer counselor, and substance use disorder professional at the Nisqually Indian Tribe Behavioral Health in Olympia.
I want to highlight Kelly because he is a very supportive manager who thinks outside of boxes and offices, often meeting our clients where they are at."
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Poetry is a great avenue for self-expression and community-building. Every month, we feature poetry written by peers in the community.
To be considered for publication in the newsletter, submit a hopeful, resilience-inspired poem to Marie Marchand, our peer support training coordinator, before the twentieth of the month.
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The Office of Recovery Partnerships is now the Office of Community Voice and Empowerment
The office's name officially changed in May 2024. View our announcement and update your bookmarks for our new webpage, as our webpage URL has changed.
Recap of the Washington Behavioral Health Conference peer reception
The Office of Community Voice and Empowerment (OCVE) and Recovery Support Services team hosted a peer reception, which had an amazing showing of peers, HCA staff, and community members.
Big thank you to Alison Avery from WBHC for her behind-the-scenes support, co-hosting, and insightful support. Another shout of gratitude to HCA's new Deputy Director of Treatment and Recovery Programs, Teresa Claycamp, for opening the event.
Connecting with our communities
OCVE is hitting the road across Washington to connect with our communities. Email Dakota Steel if you have an event you would like us to attend.
On the horizon for OCVE
- Lived and living experience community leadership summits
- Peer advocacy, capacity building, and engagement events
- WRAP 1 and 2 statewide trainings
- Launch of the Cultural Inclusion in Peer Support (CIPS) participant and facilitator guides
- CIPS train the trainer trainings
- ESL behavioral health awareness and resource events
- Transformational leadership beta test cohort
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The Department of Health (DOH) has posted draft rule language and an ethical guideline around the new certified peer specialist credential. The draft language is still subject to change, and DOH would appreciate your feedback on the proposed rule and guide.
There are workshop opportunities to review the draft language in July and August. The July dates are to review the language and discuss any concerns, and then we’ll make the changes and present the rules again in August with any changes we made in July.
If you are unable to attend, you can still provide your comments by emailing Ted Dale or the peer support team at DOH.
The Washington Peer Network provides comprehensive and accessible training and support for peer counselors across our state.
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