Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS)

Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS) Program Description and AccomplishmentsFY 2023-2024From July 2023 through June 2024, PEERS served a diverse group of 880 unduplicated participants across all of our programs, plus an additional 1,093 people reached through outreach events, whose names we did not capture. Peer support groups are the core of our work. In 2023-24, we offered 295 peer support group sessions, including:Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP): Peers share stories, ideas and insights and come up with a personal plan for getting well and staying well.Youth Collective: Leadership development and wellness for young people.Buried in Treasures: Support and skill-building to give participants tools to manage moderate to severe levels of clutter.Special Messages: Peer support around hearing voices and receiving other messages that others dont.Hope & Faith: Peer support around wellness among members of African American faith communities.Healing Our Past and Expectations (HOPE): Peer support wellness groups adapted by and for Asian Americans.Latine Community Mental Wellness: Peer support wellness groups adapted by and for Latine communities.Black Wellness and Resilience: Peer support wellness groups adapted by and for African Americans.Impact example: 91% of PEERS participants reported that the group or workshop helped them have hope.Participants gain new information, skills, and tools to support their wellness through PEERS programs. In 2023-24, we offered 43 workshops and presentations, served 18 older adults through individual services, and reached 270 community members with anti-stigma speaking engagements, including:Transition-age youth wellness workshops: Youth-developed workshops on multiple topics.Other wellness workshops: Presented where community members gather; topics included youth mental health, the SAMHSA Eight Dimensions of Wellness, spirituality and peer support, and more.Lift Every Voice and Speak: Speakers bureau members tell their stories in the community.Program for Encouraging Active and Rewarding Lives (PEARLS): A holistic service based on skill building and problem-solving that supports isolated older adults who have depression.Impact example: 91% of participants see themselves using what they learned from PEERS in the future and 90% understand more about their mental health and wellness.Leadership development among people with mental health challenges combats internalized stigma. In 2023-24, PEERS offered the following leadership development opportunities:Lift Every Voice and Speak: Speakers bureau members develop public speaking and advocacy skills and tell their stories in the community.WRAP Facilitator Training and Mentoring: Certification and ongoing support for peers leading WRAP groups.Everyone Counts Campaign: Latine Community Mental Wellness Fellows group plans and leads anti-stigma efforts.Impact example: 82% reported that they feel better about their life as a result of PEERS services.Positive images and stories about people with mental health experiences help change community members attitudes. In 2023-24, PEERS reached 270 community members through anti-stigma speaking engagements:Lift Every Voice and Speak: Speakers bureau members tell their stories in the community.Media: Email blasts, blog posts, social media, and traditional media stories countering stigma.Community Outreach: Disseminating anti-stigma messages through visibility at community events.Impact example: 95% of audience members in speakers bureau presentations reported that after the presentation, they feel people with mental health experiences can grow, change, and recover.Pool of Consumer Champions (POCC)The Pool of Consumers Champions is a group of mental health consumer advocates. PEERS provided fiscal and administration support that included logistics for POCC members to attend the annual conferences and provided assistance to coordinate POCC meetings, conferences, and other events.