Peer Support is Voluntary
Pricing
Information
Recorded
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Explain how voluntariness aligns with peer support ethics.
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Advocate for services that are non-coercive for the people they serve.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of this workshop is to increase knowledge about the voluntary nature of peer support.
Description
One of the foundational values of peer support is that all interactions between a peer support specialist and the person they have the honor to walk beside on their mutual recovery journeys is that peer support is voluntary. Peer support is grounded in self-determination and agency, and having the right to choose what will support on that journey requires that peer support be voluntary and not coerced. This webinar will explore why this is important and how to ensure that people can exercise their power to choose.
Target Audience
- Peer Support Specialist
Presenters
Anna H. Gray, M.Ed., is a Certified Mental Health Peer Specialist and Certified Peer Supervisor in the State of Texas. After dealing with life-interrupting mental health issues, she found meaning in mental health advocacy and recovery work. She has worked in the mental health field for 38 years as a houseparent, crisis intervention team captain, emergency room psychiatric assessor, psychotherapist, advocate, Peer Support
Specialist, Peer Support Specialist trainer, Peer Support Specialist curriculum developer, and Peer Support Specialists Supervisor. Most importantly, she uses her ongoing recovery from lived experience of mental health concerns to impact service systems and policy. Anna is the co-founder of Prosumers International and serves as Executive Director. Prosumers International is a peer-run, peer-driven service provider dedicated to supporting people in their recovery journey. Prosumers are proactive in their recovery and provide back to their community. She currently co-owns PRO International, a consulting organization that specializes in integrating mental health recovery and peer programs. PRO International also provides training, coaching, and professional development services for peers, especially with the flagship program Focus for Life. Anna currently serves as the Vice-chair for the Texas Behavioral Health Advisory Committee and several sub-committees. Additionally, she serves as the Vice-chair of the Texas Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services. She also served on the Board of the World Federation for Mental Health and continues to advocate, locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally, for the rights of people with mental health concerns. When Texas began certifying mental health community centers as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) in 2016, Anna began advocating for the involvement of certified peers in the implementation of the peer services requirements of CCBHC, as well as the implementation standards for representation on boards and advisory committees. This is an ongoing focus of her advocacy. Since Recovering, resilient, and thriving, Anna stands for all people to have full lives.
Financially Sponsored By
- LDH / Office of Behavioral Health / Peer Support Specialists