Heather (she/her and they/them) is a Certified Peer Specialist and Certified Parent Peer Specialist. Heather has lived experience with mental health, substance use and trauma. Heather is guided by the values of peer support and embrace the idea that there many pathways to access recovery and wellness. Additionally, they understand what it is like to be a parent in a neurodiverse family and manage chronic health conditions. The values of access, inclusion and justice informs all their work and give direction in their life.
Heather lives with their family in Milwaukee and is the parent of 4 dynamic children. They have 8+ years of professional experience in the field and 500+ hours of experience in training and facilitation. Heather received their BA in Anthropology and Peace Studies for UW-Milwaukee and incorporates nonviolent communication, peacebuilding, and systems thinking into all aspects of their work. Heather enjoys spending their time studying and practicing yoga, roller skating and biking with their kids, cooking, and exploring green spaces in southeastern Wisconsin.
I have facilitated a dozen peer specialist trainings to credential peer workers in Wisconsin, I have 4+ years of supervision and non-profit administration work proving direct service/supervision to peer staff, as well as, experience implementing peer programming. I have 500+ hours of facilitation experience in mental health/substance use/peer/trauma programming. I have a particular interest in supporting self-advocacy of autistic/neurodiverse folks, pregnant and parenting families, and all the ways SUDs/MH can impact how folks navigate the world from an intersectional/ disability justice perspective. I have experience with graduate level work in systems thinking and mapping.