March 2025 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice

“Professional Boundaries as a CPS Supervisor”

with Michelle Laga

Thursday, March 27th, 2025 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT

Facilitator:
  • Michelle Laga

Michelle Laga is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Peer Specialist at Wisconsin Community Services in Milwaukee. She is also a State of Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist Trainer. She received her Master’s of Art Therapy at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee in 2013. Michelle offers clinical supervision, support and coordination to two programs at WCS. Michelle identifies as a person in long term recovery from substance use and mental health issues. She celebrated 14 years of continuous sobriety on 3/8/2025. Michelle has a 12 year old loveable dog Watson. She loves to travel, go fishing, swimming, hiking, watch sci fi tv shows/movies and play video games. She also loves to spend time with friends and family.

Description:

How to maintain professional boundaries as a supervisor of certified peer specialists will be discussed. The differences and similarities of supervising and maintaining boundaries with peer specialists you supervisor versus other professionals will be outlined. Various scenarios involving professional boundaries as a CPS supervisor will be shared and discussed in order to learn from each other’s experience.

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 10th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on April 17th, 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

 

August 2024 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice

“Challenging Organizational Norms and Paving the Way for Equity”

with Abigail Spanjers

Thursday, August 22nd, 2024 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT

Facilitator:
  • Abigail Spanjers

Abigail is the Executive Director at The La Crosse Lighthouse Inc, a small (501c3) non-profit organization in La Crosse, WI that operates The La Crosse Lighthouse Peer Run Respite and Warmline. The La Crosse Lighthouse offers 24/7 phone support and 1–7 night respite stays for individuals who have experienced mental health and/or substance use challenges and other life interrupting events. Being a strong advocate for equity and social change, Abigail took the opportunity as Executive Director to reorganize the structure of The La Crosse Lighthouse to reflect grassroots peer support approaches, greater pay equity and shared responsibility.

Abigail received her Wisconsin Peer Specialist Certification in 2021 and Intentional Peer Support Certificate in 2023. She was named the 2024 Shining Star recipient from the Mental Health Coalition of the Greater La Crosse Area and presented at the 2024 Wisconsin Peer Recovery Conference on Challenging Organizational Norms and Paving the Way for Equity. Her experience includes navigating long term substance use and mental health challenges, incarceration, surviving domestic violence and PTSD. She holds a strong knowing that personal experiences offer a value that formal education cannot duplicate. Abigail believes in offering alternatives to clinical and medical model interventions for those navigating a self-determined wellness path.

Peer work gives voice to those that have lived through difficult life interrupting events and proves there are many pathways to self-defined wellness. In her personal time, Abigail gardens, plays video games and most importantly, loves her animal cohabitants.

Description:

This presentation will challenge what we have come to accept as normal hierarchal organizational structure and explore using the skillsets that already exist within our teams to trim the budget, provide opportunities for growth and lessen the wage gap between administrative and direct staff. Seeing all members as skilled contributors cultivates innovation and community. We will learn how respecting all positions as essential will inevitably build and grow a strong organization, impacting staff turnover and job satisfaction. Peers are a wealth of knowledge and recognizing those skills while providing an opportunity to use them builds the peer, builds the organization and builds confidence that we are capable. Together we can find a better way.

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, September 5th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on September 12th. 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.

June 2024 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice

“Mission Drift”

with April Luderus & Cai Saint Logan

Thursday, June 20th, 2024 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT

Facilitator:
  • April Luderus
    April Luderus is a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) and Parent Peer in Wisconsin and serves as Wraparound Advocacy and Engagement Program Director for Peer Specialists Limited (PSL), a peer-run, peer-led agency that provides Parent Peer Specialist services to the families under the Wraparound umbrella in Milwaukee.April established the non-profit, Alcami (pronounced alchemy) Project in March 2023, driven by a commitment to support women in Milwaukee overcoming challenges related to substance abuse. In June 2024, Alcami Project opened Grace House to house women from marginalized communities desiring recovery, targeting pregnant and postpartum women. April is passionate and committed to using her lived experience to walk alongside those who desire it.

    Before beginning work as a Certified Peer Specialist and Recovery Navigator with Wisconsin Community Services in April of 2022, April was a teacher of high/middle school students with special needs and Library Media Specialist for grades K-8 in Milwaukee Public Schools. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications specializing in Multi-Cultural Communication from UW-Milwaukee. She is a mother of 5, grandmother of 10 and a member of a cultivated support system in the community.

  • Cai Saint Logan
    The act of recovery is woven into all aspects of my life. I am a peer specialist and CPS training facilitator. I have been working in advocacy, social work, and harm reduction for over 15 years. I collaborate with people striving toward wellness who experience a range of challenges due to trauma, oppression, and marginalization. From substance use and mental health difficulties to incarceration and housing insecurity, the people I work with show great courage in the face of daunting circumstances and a society that often cares too little.As a person of deeply held convictions, humility, service, and empathy are as vital to me as my next breath. I have always been attracted to work that aligns with my personal values. The fact that my personal history is rooted within the communities and the peoples I serve makes this work all the more essential to who I am.

    I started out in the recovery world in a leadership role where I directed the Wisconsin Walk for Recovery (now Milwaukee Walks for Recovery) for three years, increasing participation in the walk significantly over the course of my tenure. From there, I delved into advocacy work, using my personal journey as a gender diverse person to provide guidance and education on various topics affecting LGBTQ+ people. During the ensuing years, I earned my bachelor’s degree, certification as a peer specialist, peer specialist training facilitator, and opiate impacted family support specialist.

    Over the last several years I have worked as a peer specialist in many capacities, at a shelter for women and children, for Milwaukee County Crisis Services, and with Outreach Community Health Center’s targeted case management team. I practice peer support from the understanding that empathy, inner-calmness, cultural reverence, and compassionate boundaries are powerful forces that support healing and connection.

    As of late, I have been studying the finer points of grant writing and contract administration as I prepare myself to once again step into leadership roles. I am considering various avenues to use my knowledge and experience to continue to serve my communities. As my journey carries on, all I know for sure is that I must never stop putting people first. As long as we sincerely value ourselves and each other, potential knows no bounds.

     

Description:

Our “Mission Drift” workshop explores how to balance idealism with the challenging realities of working in systemic environments. As peer specialists, we act as catalysts for change, bringing essential and fresh perspectives to places that may not fully recognize or value our unique approach, which emphasizes individual-focused care and uplifting marginalized voices. We’ll discuss how initial enthusiasm can sometimes fade when faced with the complexities of the workplace. This workshop will delve into self-care, maintaining our integrity, and developing strategies for peer specialists to effectively navigate these dynamics. Our goal is for each participant to leave equipped with the tools to succeed without compromising their core values.

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 11th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on July 18th, 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 2024 Supervisor’s Community of Practice

Peer Supervision Series: “How Person-Centered Supervision Creates a Culture of Community” (1/2)
with Tanya Kraege & Kristina Vaccaro
Thursday, April 25th, 2024 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT

Facilitator:
  • Tanya Kraege
    Tanya Kraege is the Drug Poisoning Prevention Team Manager at Safe Communities MDC. She works alongside people experiencing substance use challenges, birthing folx using substances during pregnancy, trauma, relationships, formerly incarcerated, and mental health experiences. Tanya has been a part of mental health and substance use work for 14 years. Currently, she oversees programs that use Recovery Coaches and Certified Peer Specialists who work in various environments in Dane County, Rock County and Jefferson County in Wisconsin to support people with substance use, and mental health experiences and their loved ones. Over the past few years in this role, Tanya has secured grant funding to design and implement a Salesforce-based recovery practice management solution that has increased productivity by 40% in peer provider management and has given the flexibility to serve over 1600 people in her community. Tanya also works around the Country regarding anti-stigma work and peer provider programs. Tanya played a role in the Health Care Task Force on Safe Opioid Prescribing by participating in the academic detailing program for working with clinicians on co-prescribing Naloxone with opioid prescription medications, in addition to being a Clinical Social Worker, Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, and community advocate. Tanya is also a Recovery Coach, Recovery Coach Trainer, and Certified Peer Specialist, using her story of addiction and recovery to help others gain hope and insight into new ways of living.
  • Kristina Vaccaro
    Kristina Vaccaro is the Drug Poisoning Prevention Peer Provider Team Supervisor at Safe Communities of Madison and Dane County, WI. Kristina has worked with the substance use and recovery community for nearly six years, using her experience in recovery to inspire and support those currently struggling with substances or mental health challenges. She started providing peer support to those struggling with substance use in 2017 and eventually moved into a leadership position with Safe Communities. She has worked alongside the program manager to implement programs and supervise a team of 18-20 Recovery Coaches/Certified Peer Specialists providing direct services. Kristina works closely with the program manager, funders, and developers to bring to life a recovery practice management solution to ease the daily burden of program management and supervision. Kristina is a recovery coach, recovery coach trainer, and a WI Certified Peer Specialist. She also serves on the board and volunteers at a Dane County-based recreational BMX track and, most recently, on the board of directors for her family foundation working with Wisconsin-based nonprofits to enhance their work. Kristina would tell you she loves her job and the people she gets the honor to work alongside. Kristina’s children and husband mean the work to her outside of work and spends her time outside of work with them.
Description:

In this first part series focusing on peer supervision, we will be peeling back the layers of depth as to what occurs on peer-led teams. Participants will hear about overcoming supervision challenges in peer-led groups with discussions around community grief, personal grief, fostering individual wellness journeys, burnout, self-care, staff retention, and additional impactful trainings pertinent to the peer-led teams’ specific work. We will discuss how we keep the fidelity of peer work through conversations in supervision when addressing issues or concerns.

 

 

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, May 9th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on May 16th, 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.

October 2023 CPS & CPPS Supervisor’s Community of Practice

“Supervising Peers with Multiple Lived Experience”
with Startina White

October 18th, 2023 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT

Facilitator:
  • Startina White
    Startina was born and raised in Milwaukee Wi. She has worked as a Certified Peer Specialist for 3 years all of which have been performed at Wisconsin Community Services. She has lived experience with mental health as well as substance use and has been in recovery for 4 ½ years. Startina believes in the Peer Specialist model of support because without it she believes that it would have taken her even longer to seek treatment and support for herself. Startina is now the Assistant Director of Community Based Peer Programs at WCS, yet still serves as a Certified Peer Specialist and states this work helps to keep me humble, motivated, and hard working in my own recovery, every day that I am blessed to wake up.
Description:

Join us in this Community of Practice gathering to learn how to support peers in their own recovery to prevent burnout, how to balance with work and home, and promote ethics and boundaries.

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 Wednesday, November 1st. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on November 8th, 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.