“It IS that Deep: Why is Everything About Race?” with Marcia Galvan & Carmella Glenn
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 11:59pm on Monday, September 28th. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by end of day on September 29th, 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.
June 2026 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice
Bex is a Certified Peer Support Specialist who is deeply passionate about mental health and wellness, bringing grounded lived experience to her work. With personal experience navigating mental health challenges, trauma, substance use, and complex social environments, Bex offers support rooted in authenticity, resilience, and real-world recovery. In Bex’s recovery she has found value in setting boundaries with oneself and gaining discipline through this. Bex’s recovery inspired her to become a peer support, knowing before finding CCS she walked the majority of her journey alone. She wanted others to feel support through empathy and deep understanding of what they are experiencing.
Peer Support Specialists play a vital role in walking alongside individuals as they discover what works best for them. In this engaging 90-minute class, participants will explore how to effectively support peers living with Substance Use Disorder through a person-centered, recovery-oriented approach. Topics include practical coping skills, the unique role of peer support, and strategies for encouraging hope while honoring each person’s chosen path to recovery. We’ll also discuss the value of both anonymous recovery programs and multiple pathways, recognizing that recovery looks different for everyone, honoring our peer’s autonomy.
This class also examines the important role families and support systems play in the recovery process. Participants will gain insight into fostering healthy communication, setting appropriate boundaries, and connecting peers and their loved ones with meaningful supports. Whether you’re a new or experienced Peer Support Specialist, you’ll leave with practical tools, increased confidence, and a deeper understanding of how to empower individuals and families on the journey toward sustained recovery.
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, August 6th, 2026. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on August 13th, 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.
June 2026 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice
Karen Iverson Riggers is a writer, activist, advocate, trainer, and Mom. She is a lead trainer of Emotional CPR for the State of Wisconsin and co-creator of Listening to Trauma curriculum. She is a founding member of Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative, a Wisconsin worker owned cooperative. She utilizes her lived experience in the mental health system to advocate for change and create community spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued, just as they are.
Lynn McLaughlin is an entrepreneur, author, peer, trainer, and consultant. Her lived experience, education, and training make her an exceptional leader, consultant and trainer. Lynn has a vibrant passion for life and deep empathy for the stories of others, which shows up in all facets of her work. She is a founding member of Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative, a Wisconsin worker-owned cooperative, and is a lead trainer of Emotional CPR for the State of Wisconsin. Lynn is a co-creator of the Community Living Room – a non-clinical, person-centered environment for people seeking social connection and emotional support.
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 9th, 2026. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on July 16th, 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 2026 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice
Lisa Marie Brodsky Auter (she/her) has been a peer support specialist and group facilitator for over 6 years and is currently building a peer program at her current mental health organization. Lisa Marie offers this CoP topic from her own experiences of wanting to die, losing her husband to suicide, and supporting others who feel suicidal as a peer support specialist. A published poet and credentialed Poetry Therapy Practitioner, she is the founder of “Hiraethlon Creativity + Wellness” (www.hiraethlon.com) and resides in Madison, WI with her partner and cat, Shiloh.
In this SupCoP, we will consider a topic that is rarely discussed: What happens when a peer support specialist is asked to support someone who feels suicidal while also carrying their own lived experience of suicide loss and/or thoughts about suicide? This session explores how peer support specialists can hold multiple identities—supporter, survivor, and person with past/current suicidal thoughts—while holding awareness and insight for themselves. Focus will be given to how we can support ourselves as peer support specialists and also as humans who have felt similar anguish and desperation.
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 7th, 2026. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on May 14th, 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.
February 2026 CPS & CPPS Supervisor Community of Practice
Michael King is a leadership trainer and coach, the Director and Creator of The Communities Project, and the Managing Principal of Impact Leadership Training & Coaching, LLC. He spent over a decade in the political arena, working on Presidential, Gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, and local campaigns, from county to state legislative efforts. He is a past Campaign Director, Field Director, Communications Director for the Washington State Democratic Party, and the former Executive Director of the Washington State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.
The former National Director of Outreach & Engagement for Facing Addiction with NCADD, Michael is also a co-founder of a Washington state-based not-for-profit organization that empowers young people to engage in the political process. He is an alumnus of JustLeadershipUSA’s Leading with Conviction program and a graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Institute’s online Art of Leadership program.
Join us in this Part 2 in leading communities deep in the depths of substance use and behavioral health, trauma is so often an ongoing component in the dynamic. It is critical for leaders in these worlds to come to terms with trauma and lead from a place of responsibility:
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, March 12th, 2026. Certificates of Participation will be sent to those completing the evaluation form by 4:30pm on March 19th, 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.
