Pittsburg, Kansas — In the transformation to a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), Crawford County Mental Health Center (CCMHC) is expanding its peer support program. Embedded in each of CCMHC’s core services, including substance use, adult, and children’s services, Peer Support Specialists encompass a range of lived experiences that they are able to share with clients and staff.
Peer Support Specialists provide hope, empathy, and advocacy for clients by sharing their own lived experiences during treatment. They have the ability to discuss strategies for self-empowerment and help others find their own path to recovery. Peer Support Specialists offer connections to resources within the community, but also provide support to clients in therapy sessions or while accessing resources through community partners. Peer Support Specialists are available at CCMHC in both individual and group services.
Kasia Hoover, a Peer Support Specialist, echoes the sentiment of recovery, sharing that she sees her mission as a PEER, a mnemonic for her work: Providing Examples and Empowering Recovery. “It is a road map for someone else’s recovery,” stated Hoover.
In addition to supporting CCMHC’s clients, Peer Support Specialists serve as liaisons to other staff members. An example of this was seen during the development of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. Kerrington Hall, a Peer Support Specialist, provided feedback and service evaluation to the MAT team during a trial run of the program prior to implementation. “During our trial run Kerrington gave first hand experience of the unrelenting power of cravings and how it manifests in a person’s behavior,” stated Cheryl Lemmon, APRN.
CCMHC Peer Support Specialists are certified in Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP). WRAP is a tool that can be utilized and implemented with clients to assist in symptom reduction and to create a plan for if, or when, symptoms worsen.
In addition to WRAP, Peer Support Specialists also participate in training programs developed by the State of Kansas, which educate on mental health and addiction from a provider’s perspective. All of CCMHC’s Peer Support Specialists have earned, or are in the process of obtaining, their Level 1 certification. Both Kasia Hoover and Lori Brecheisen have achieved Level 2 certification — which is the highest achievement for this training in Kansas.
Anyone interested in becoming a certified Peer Support Specialist, can register for Level 1 training from the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) online at https://kansascpstraining.getlearnworlds.com.
Current and new CCMHC clients can request peer support services by talking to a provider at CCMHC.
Crawford County Mental Health Center has been serving the mental health needs of Crawford County since 1961, offering adult, children, crisis, and substance use services. For more information, please call 620-231-5130 or visit www.crawfordmentalhealth.org.