Virtual Training: Effective Supervision of Mental Health Peer Specialists

Effective supervision of Peer Specialists working in mental health starts with basic best practices for supervising anyone providing direct services. Once a baseline of best practices are established we’ll explore ways to specifically support Peer Specialists through a clear understanding of the role, and the principles and ethics of the Peer Support field. We’ll also look at some of the challenges that people with lived experience encounter when working in systems and develop a framework for giving and receiving feedback in supervision.

About the presenter:

Christina Carney, MA, MHPS (she/her) is a creative warrior with a passion for social justice and healing. She spent several years working in Syracuse, NY as an advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence before moving to Austin, TX in 2012. While there, she received her MA from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Engaged Humanities with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology. Drawing on her lived experience, Christina became a Mental Health Peer Specialist in 2014, working at Austin State Hospital for three years before starting at Via Hope in 2017. She is the founder and host of Community Connections, a free monthly webinar for Peer Specialists and was the Coordinator of the Peer Voice Project, a leadership program for Peers. Christina is now the Training and Curriculum Design Manager at Via Hope.