July 2026 CPS/CPPS Community of Practice
“Rural Realities: Making a Big Impact in Small Tribal Communities”
with Jessica Bigboy & Robert O’Claire
Jessica Bigboy is a Certified Peer Specialist and Certified Parent Peer Specialist, a proud Bad River Tribal Member, and the Recovery House Manager for Bad River’s Nenda Noojimod (“A Place of Healing”) Women’s Recovery House.
In her role, Jessica supports women in recovery by helping create a safe, culturally grounded, and supportive environment where individuals can continue their healing journey. She brings more than ten years of experience advocating for and empowering peers, along with lived experience, compassion, and a deep understanding of the strengths and needs within her community.
Jessica is a devoted wife and mother of three. Her work is guided by her commitment to recovery, community connection, cultural wellness, and walking alongside others as they reclaim their strength, resilience, and purpose.
Robert “Rob” O’Claire is a Certified Peer Specialist and Recovery Coach from the Bad River Reservation in rural northern Wisconsin. He is an enrolled Bad River Tribal Member, Anishinaabe, a father of two daughters, and is in long-term recovery.
Rob currently works for his Tribe in Behavioral Health, where he uses his lived experience, community knowledge, and professional role to support recovery, prevention, and behavioral health efforts in Indigenous communities. His work includes grant development, program planning, community engagement, and advocating for resources that help rural Tribal communities build the services, partnerships, and systems they need to better serve their people.
Rob is passionate about making sure Indigenous voices are included in decisions that impact their communities, especially in rural areas where resources are often limited and needs are too easily overlooked. His work is rooted in the belief that communities deserve equitable access to resources, culturally grounded services, and the opportunity to create solutions that reflect who they are. Rob is committed to creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and connected in their recovery journey. He believes healing is strongest when it is rooted in culture, community, lived experience, and the voices of the people most impacted.
Peer support in rural Tribal communities often looks different than it does in larger systems. Services may be limited, transportation may be a barrier, relationships often overlap, and peer specialists may be supporting people they know personally while also navigating confidentiality, boundaries, burnout, and cultural responsibilities.
In this Community of Practice, Robert “Rob” O’Claire and Jessica Bigboy from the Bad River Tribe will share lived and professional experiences providing peer support, recovery support, and behavioral health services in a small, close-knit reservation community. Together, they will explore the realities of working in resource-limited Tribal settings, including the challenges peers face helping their indigenous peers navigate through systems that have historically harmed our people, and the strengths that come from culture, community connection, trust, and shared responsibility.
This session will invite reflection and discussion on how peer specialists can support recovery while honoring boundaries, relationships, and community identity. Participants will leave with practical insight into culturally grounded peer support, rural service challenges, and the creative ways Tribal communities continue to build healing, resilience, and recovery with the resources they have.
Feedback Survey/CEH Information:
We invite you to please fill out the evaluation survey link (click here) if you attended this community of practice gathering or if you watch the recording. The survey will close at 4:30pm on Thursday, July 30th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on August 6th, 2026. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEH credit after the evaluation survey’s closing date/time.
This website is managed and maintained by staff at Access to Independence working on the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative. The words, views, and values presented herein are not necessarily representative of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
April 2025 CPS & CPPS Community of Practice
I am an enrolled tribal member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Anishinaabe and a proud boarding school survivor. My journey has been shaped by personal encounters with the deep-seated effects of historical and intergenerational trauma, as well as the powerful process of recovery and healing. These lived experiences have fueled my passion for reclaiming our community’s strength, culture, and connection to the land. Driven by a commitment to holistic wellness and community revitalization, I am dedicated to restoring our traditional roles in the production and processing of resources within tribal nations. My work focuses on integrating regenerative agriculture practices, eco/agro therapies, and eco-friendly recreation into our community’s fabric. I believe that by weaving these elements with our cultural values and practices, we can foster sustainable development, support mental and emotional healing, and reconnect with the wisdom of our ancestors. My aspiration is to go beyond personal recovery, to inspire collective healing and empowerment within our community. I envision a future where our people are thriving, our land is restored, and our traditional practices are honored and upheld. Through this presentation, I hope to shed light on our past, ignite discussions about our present challenges, and inspire action towards a more resilient and self-determined future for the Lac Courte Oreilles community.
**This presentation is part two**
“Trespassing at Home” delves deep into the layered history of odaawaa-zaaga’iganiing aka Lac Courte Oreilles examining the profound effects of historical traumas and how they reverberate in the present. This journey begins with the arrival of French fur traders and settlers, marking the beginning of sustained foreign contact, and traces a timeline of significant events that have shaped the socio-cultural and economic landscape of Sawyer County. Through this comprehensive historical timeline, we will explore key moments such as forced relocations, the introduction of boarding schools, the loss of traditional lands and practices, and the erosion of community sovereignty. This legacy of displacement and cultural suppression has set the stage for the current crises facing the community, including the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic. The presentation will provide an in-depth analysis of how these historical traumas have interwoven with contemporary challenges, creating complex layers of trauma that persist within the community today. By understanding this timeline and the cumulative effect of these events, participants will gain a clearer perspective on the ongoing resilience of the LCO community and the path toward healing and revitalization.
Feedback Survey/CEH Information:
We invite you to please fill out the evaluation survey link (click here) if you attended this community of practice gathering or if you watch the recording. The survey will close at 4:30pm on Thursday, April 24th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on May 1st, 2025. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEH credit after the evaluation survey’s closing date/time.
This website is managed and maintained by staff at Access to Independence working on the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative. The words, views, and values presented herein are not necessarily representative of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
July 2024 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice
In this presentation, we will build a shared understanding of harm reduction– what it is, how we can embrace it with our peers, and in our own lives. With this shared language, we will explore how different liberation movements have shaped current harm reduction practices, and how community-centered approaches to harm reduction can be a lifeline for marginalized folks. Together, we will find ways that we can continue to honor the legacies of those before us by continuing their work today!
We invite you to please fill out the evaluation survey link (click here) if you attended this community of practice gathering or if you watch the recording. The survey will close at 4:30pm on Thursday, August 8th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on August 15th, 2024. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEH credit after the evaluation survey’s closing date/time.
This website is managed and maintained by staff at Access to Independence working on the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative. The words, views, and values presented herein are not necessarily representative of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
April 2023 CPS & CPPS Community of Practice
April 20th, 2023 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT
David Carlson is the founder and co-owner of C.C. We Adapt, co-founder/co-owner of Next Generation Properties, LLC, and co-founder/co-owner of Next Generation Mentors. David is going into his third year at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where his focus areas are Healthcare Law and Healthcare Compliance. David has a background of diverse experiences. He is an early childhood trauma survivor. He has significant lived experience with youth and adult incarceration, as well as youth and adult homelessness. He is an Army National Guard combat veteran. David’s life now revolves around his family, wife Alicia Carlson, two sons, Knox and Lenox Carlson, and a new baby on the way. David has dedicated his life to expanding resources for more people from backgrounds like his to have the opportunity to enjoy the promises of life, liberty, and happiness–realities that have for too long only been enjoyed by a privileged class.
Brianna Traut is a Certified Peer Specialist with C.C. We Adapt as well as the General Manager Next Generation Properties.
Brianna is a single mom and has a 3-year-old son named Rowan! Rowan is the reason she pushes herself every day to be better. She is recovering from addiction to opiates and has been in recovery for 5 years. Throughout her addiction, she had periods of incarceration and rehab stays and she never had someone who truly understood her or what she was going through. Eventually, she was able to get into treatment court through Eau Claire County and successfully complete the program.
Brianna came to a point in her life where she felt things were changing around her, however, she felt she was still in the same place. She wanted to grow and begin helping others who have experiences similar to her; and, this is where she found peer support. Peer support completely changed her life. She felt her purpose was to help others, especially because she could connect with the individuals and feel like she has been there. By being in these similar situations and places before, Brianna now gives people hope in any situation that they may be in.
Tenant Support Mentorship is a concept that was created by C.C. We Adapt and that has become its own form of peer services under Next Generation Mentors. This presentation will illuminate how peer service providers are uniquely positioned to take on the housing epidemic that is facing every community, and that is negatively impacting marginalized community members at a disproportionate rate.
We invite you to please fill out the evaluation survey link (click here) if you attended this community of practice gathering or if you watch the recording. The survey will close at 4:30pm on Thursday, May 4th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on May 11th, 2023. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEH credit after the evaluation survey’s closing date/time.
This website is managed and maintained by staff at Access to Independence working on the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative. The words, views, and values presented herein are not necessarily representative of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
February 2023 CPS & CPPS Community of Practice
February 16th, 2023 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT
Lynn Maday-Bigboy
Lynn Maday-Bigboy is a Certified Parent Peer and Peer Trainer. She is from the Bad River Nation, located on Lake Superior, and she is passionate about advocating for youth and families that are historically marginalized in systems of care.
Healing Layers of Trauma in a Collective Society During Pandemic Times: Through the lens of a collective society, Lynn will be looking at the layers of trauma and the impacts of the pandemic on historical traumas. Together, with participants, she will also explore the healing that can occur when we slow down during these times to process, reflect, and move forward.
We invite you to please fill out the evaluation survey link (click here) if you attended this community of practice gathering or if you watch the recording. The survey will close at 4:30pm on Thursday, March 2nd. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on February 16th, 2023. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEH credit after the evaluation survey’s closing date/time.
This website is managed and maintained by staff at Access to Independence working on the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative. The words, views, and values presented herein are not necessarily representative of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
