December 2022 CPS & CPPS Supervisor’s Community of Practice
December 20th, 2022 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT
Braunwynn Franklin
Braunwynn is a survivor of marginalization. Having 5 strikes in a system of social injustices has been the empowerment for her journey. Braunwynn Franklin is a trained Peer Support in 3 States, she was a peer supervisor in the Portland, Oregon area for 6 years and is a trainer in various holistic and peer curriculums. She has advocated nationally in the peer mental health and prison reform communities and is dedicated to making a difference in these communities. Also, she has worked with and trained individuals in various settings as well as in several States in peer support, peer wellness and other health-related peer services. She is a returning citizen from the criminal justice system and still serves on the board of directors for 2 Portland, Oregon Organizations. Braunwynn is the current chair of the board of directors for the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery as well as an advisor on the Michigan Peer Recovery Coalition. Braunwynn has recently started 313 Network Solutions and Voice 2 the Voiceless Podcast because she sees the injustice that has impacted people of color and other diverse communities wants to give people their voices back who have been oppressed in the various system.
Braunwynn has invited us to view previous speaking opportunities she has participated in, we invite you to view the following videos & podcast by clicking the titles below:
Braunwynn has offered to share her expertise & lived experience to facilitate a discussion about the vision & founding principles of peer support, what these principles truly look in practice and how these values tend to look much different today, as our workforce grow & move into greater spaces. In the 70’s, a group of survivors of psychiatric systems wrote pamphlets, established advocacy groups and tried to bring their experiences to the public regarding their severe mistreatment in systems. However, with so much stigma surrounding mental & behavioral health conditions, many communities did not want “ex-patients” in their towns and once again, they were on the outside, looking in.
The peer movement began when those “ex-patients” began to seeking out one another, creating lasting relationships, and supporting each other through their lived experience. Systems were slow to move toward peer support, but those with lived experience quickly adopted the philosophy of peers supporting peers, both in the community & ironically, in professional mental health care settings too. Would the forerunners of the peer support movement recognize peer support today, in our practice today? What was the vision of peer support & the founding principles of peer support when the peer support movement was started?
Braunwynn will help us take a deeper look at our own practices, take an honest evaluation of our peer support practices, and ask ourselves, “am I honoring peer support in my practices and the way I live? Have I moved away from or closer to true peer support in my supervision practices?” Braunwynn will walk with us and help us we lean into to the “Keys of peer support supervision,” focus on the values, boundaries, and ethics and how to navigate peer support in an authentic way. She will help us take a look at holding fidelity to the framework in our own practices, and gain understanding on how to resist becoming compliant to the confining practices that move us out of our framework of liberation. True peer support holds true liberating power on its own, our practice of alternate healing modalities coupled with lived experience, and empathy has provided pathways for countless people to live their dreams and goals without limitations, when so many told them they would never live. We cannot afford to not be true to it in our practice. Join us, as we take a look in the mirror and examine our work. As we lean into greater understanding, before we can change anything, we must begin with taking a look at our own practices first.
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 Tuesday, January 3rd. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on January 10th, 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.
September 2022 Supervisor’s CPS & CPPS Community of Practice
“Supervising Peer Specialists – A Mutual Experience” with Kurt Stapleton
September 22nd, 2022 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm CT
Facilitator: Kurt Stapleton
After battling with an opioid use disorder for nearly 10 years and making some poor choices in life, he began his recovery journey while in prison. Shortly after his wedding, he fell deeper into the darkness of the disease and was living hopelessly. One bad decision led to another and he wound up getting arrested for 2 counts of armed robbery of 2 pharmacies for painkillers. Kurt then received a 20-year sentence that included 5 yrs in prison and 15 years of extended supervision. Thankfully, he was granted the Earned Release Program while incarcerated. This is where he learned the tools to truly overcome the childhood traumas he endured. After being released from prison, he worked any job he could to be a productive member of the household and society. After a chance encounter at a coffee shop where he was talking about his recovery journey, he met a few people who were talking about recovery coaching and peer support specialists. As the universe was working out his path, Kurt found that he was being pulled in this direction for some reason and decided to pursue the CPS training and eventually became a CPS. This decision is one that ultimately changed his life and career path. One day, while sitting at his desk ordering air conditioner parts for his full-time job, he came across a full-time, salary position for a certified peer specialist. After talking to his wife, he took the job, and knowing he couldn’t possibly make enough money doing this alone, he chose to work part-time as a peer specialist as well. After working 2 jobs as a peer specialist, the organization was discussing opening up the peer specialist supervisor position. This was exactly what he needed at exactly the right time. Today, Kurt works as a peer supervisor and peer support at Chrysalis in a 50/50 role. Knowing full well what it means to have a supervisor understand what the peer specialist is dealing with, having the lived experience and first-hand knowledge of the daily struggles that come with this position, he is able to support his team members on another level than a clinician can. Having worked with some unsatisfactory supervisors in the past, he strives to be the best leader of the team that he can be.
Description:
This month’s Supervisors of CPS/CPPS Community of Practice will be focusing on “Supervising Peer Specialists – A Mutual Experience,” with Kurt Stapleton as our guest facilitator. This topic was chosen based on feedback we received from members of our workforce, and we hope that this discussion will provide valuable insights for all involved. We will be discussing one of peer support’s core values, mutuality, from a peer supervisor’s perspective. As a certified peer specialist who has grown into a supervisor of certified peer specialists, Kurt has a meaningful perspective to share on what mutuality looks like within an organization and in the supervisory role. Together, we will discuss power dynamics, how to advocate for mutuality on an organizational level. Join us, as we aim to deepen our understanding of this important peer value and how we can put it into practice, 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, October 6th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on October 13th, 2022. 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 2022 Supervisor’s of CPS & CPPS Community of Practice:
“Peer Support Values and Documentation”
July 28th, 2022 from 1:30pm-3pm CT
Facilitator:
Victoria (Vic) Welle: Vic is peer support trainer who brings many years of experience providing peer support in diverse settings. Vic’s work experience includes community-based peer support, supervising peer supporters in a peer respite program, and working within the Comprehensive Community Services program in Wisconsin. Vic is a statewide trainer for the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative, a national trainer for Intentional Peer Support, and serves on the board of the peer-run organization Wisconsin Milkweed Alliance (WIMA).
Description:
Documentation, how do we complete this required task while holding true to our peer support values? Guest Facilitator, Vic Welle explored the topics, “Peer Support Values and Documentation,” with hope and engaged us in a broader conversation about values and advocacy around documentation on Thursday, July 28th, 2022. The Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative’s goal is to continue to provide mutually collaborative spaces where we all learn together to deepen our values in peer support while holding fidelity to the peer support framework.
We would love for you to share space with us each month, for our Communities of Practices as we will continue explore topics aligning with our work, supporting others and deepening our values. If you would like to stay informed or would enjoy receiving a reminder, please sign up to receive email updates by clicking About Us, then, scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for updates on the latest news. We hope to engage with you soon!
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 11th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on August 18th, 2022. 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 24, 2022
February 2022 Supervisors of CPS & CPPS Community of Practice:
“A Brief Introduction to Navigating Neurodiversity in the Workplace” ~ February 24th, 2022 from 1:30pm-3pm CST
Guest facilitator:
Heather Mroch (she/her and they/them)
Certified Peer Specialist & Parent Peer Specialist
Peer Specialist Trainer, Yoga Teacher, Consultant, Facilitator
Owner, PEERspecitve Wellness
website: www.peerspectivewellness.ppcbrands.com
email: peerspectivetraining@gmail.com
phone: 414-793-6582
Description:
This Supervisors of CPS & CPPS Community of Practice Session will aim to give a general overview of defining neurodivergence, exploring where neurodiversity fits in with a disability justice framework, and addressing how intersectionality can be a barrier to navigating neurodivergence in the workplace. Participants will experience an introduction to the topic and leave with practical tools and resources for further exploration, self advocacy and to support systems transformation.
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 10th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on March 17th, 2022. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEU 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.
January 27th, 2022
January 2022 Supervisors of CPS & CPPS Community of Practice:
“Supporting Peer Specialist Professional Development” ~ January 27th, 2022 from 1:30pm-3pm CST
Guest facilitator: Marguerit Galindo, Peer Specialist Workforce Development Coordinator for the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative
Description:
Come and discuss with others how to support a vibrant team of people in peer specialist roles through employer-supported professional development. We’ll explore together what professional development can look like when oriented specifically to CPS and CPPS roles and how this can build an organizational culture of learning and growth.
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, February 10th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on February 17th, 2022. No evaluation surveys will be accepted for CEU 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.