Shawn will be exploring how he got to where he is today. You will learn why peer support is so beneficial to Shawn and to others who are disabled – from having peer support to having hope after the trauma. We will also create a non-judgmental, safe environment in which we can discuss challenges you are facing and how to build coping techniques to lead to a successful recovery. Although you may feel that no-one can understand what you are facing, you do not have to face it alone as we are ALL in this together. We will work together to find a positive path to overcome your challenges to help you achieve your desired goal.
Shawn Adrian
In 1999, I lost my vision due to a traumatic head injury caused by a car accident. The trauma caused by this life-changing event has had a long-reaching influence on who I am today. Prior to the traumatic accident, I battled with mental illness, and narcissistic abuse that led to incarceration as a child and an adult. After the horrific accident, I battled with substance use due to physical pain. Not having any support to help me through these trying times provides me first-hand knowledge of the important role that an empathetic peer-support specialist provides in recovery.
My life experiences have led me to see the need for outside support to help when one is enduring hard times. This is why I decided to use the strength I found in myself to help others going through similar situations. I completed necessary training and testing to become the first blind Certified Peer Support Specialist in the state of Wisconsin.
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1. I am a Certified Peer Specialist or Certified Parent Peer Specialist in Wisconsin.
2. I want to engage in a supportive, collaborative learning-based Community of Practice with other CPS and CPPS in Wisconsin.
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Thankfully, we are seeing more Peer Specialists hired into leadership positions within organizations, but this responsibility also comes with its challenges. Learn about how to understand your own organization to better your impact when looking for organizational change.
Alysha Clark
Alysha Clark was Certified as a Peer Specialist in 2013 and is grateful for the opportunity to be in leadership positions throughout the next ten years. Alysha is now the Director of Advocacy and Operations at Chrysalis. She has had several experiences throughout her time at Chrysalis to think about how the Peer Specialist lens can support organizational change. Alysha has also supported several organizations in looking at their own organizations and how they can support Peer Specialist services by making organizational change.
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The Supervisors of CPS & CPPS Community of Practice is for people who can say:
1. I have worked as a Certified Peer Specialist, Certified Parent Peer Specialist, or in a similar peer role and have my own relevant lived experience.
2. I also supervise other Certified Peer Specialists or Certified Parent Peer Specialists in Wisconsin or am looking to develop supervisory/organizational leadership skills.
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Click Here to View Past Communities of Practice!
Note: Starting with Community of Practice gatherings from September 2021 and beyond, you will be able to watch the recording and fill out an evaluation link for continuing education hours (CEUs) if you do so within two weeks of the recorded community of practice date.
Starting in August 2021, we strive to ensure each Community of Practice gathering has ASL interpretation and live captioning. If you have reasonable accommodations requests regarding our Communities of Practice, click here to submit reasonable accommodations requests at least a week before the gathering.
Privacy note: Community of Practice gatherings may be recorded for later on-demand viewing.
CEHs: Attendance at the CPS & CPPS Community of Practice and some Supervisors of CPS & CPPS Community of Practice gatherings and completion of post-gathering evaluations will earn you 1.5 hours of continuing education credit good for recertification purposes in Wisconsin. The evaluation will be sent to the email with which you register to attend a Community of Practice gathering.
Like the community of practice gatherings in Wisconsin? Want to expand your learning in a national context? Please check out the communities of practice hosted by the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence (click here), which are structured very similarly to the ones in Wisconsin.
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.