Using Peers to Support Re-Engaging Families (SAMHSA-sponsored)
Description: When mental health problems increase, people with serious mental illness may lose relationships with family members and friends. Peers act as non-clinical support and navigators who facilitate interactions within family systems or help adults reconnect with their natural supports. This webinar will explore the use of peers to support family engagement and re-engagement.
Panelists will describe the use of peers to help strengthen family supports and facilitation of family reunification following disconnection. Project Return Peer Support Network will share about programs focused on adults with serious mental illness and within Latino communities. Georgia Parent Support Network will discuss supports for adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. Both programs will address strategies, challenges and lessons learned from their programs about how to facilitate and support continued family engagement and re-engagement.
Presenters:
- Sue L. Smith, Ed.D., CEO, Georgia Parent Support Network
- Angelica Garcia, Associate Director, Project Return Peer Support Network.
Moderators:
- Lynda Gargan, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
- Theresa Nguyen, LCSW, VP of Policy and Programs, MHA