About PEERspective Wellness
Heather is a Master Generalist! They are led by the values of access, inclusion and justice in all of their life - both personal and professional actions and decisions.
Personal and Professional Aim: To include peacebuilding and human rights in every vision and mission to support self-determination and shared decision making.
Their experience spans over a decade a in the non-profit sector around public health, mental health, wellness, crisis services, substance use providing direct service in various settings, including hospital based work and community outreach. Additionally, Heather has years of management and administrative experience. Their undergraduate coursework focused on Medical Anthropology exploring beliefs around wellness/illness across cultures. Heather's studies were grounded in local and international experiences while studying restorative justice, peace, mediation/negotiation, conflict resolution, and human rights. Their lived experiences with mental health and substance use needs has given Heather the opportunity to serve their peers and provide support that is mutual, empowering and effective. Heather's studies, education, training and grounded experiences have many intersections. Below are some their skills and areas of interest:
Asset-based community development, Sytems Thinking and Systems Mapping, Harm Reduction, Universal Design, Disability Justice, Co-occurring Capable Care, Access and Inclusion, Care for Pregnant and Parenting Families, Maternal Mental Health, Peer Pro Se Advocacy, Human Rights, Transformative Justice, Peacebuilding, Non-violent Communication, Trauma-Informed Care, Training Development, Curriculum Design, Sustainability, Recovery Ecology, Group Facilitation, Process Improvement, Circle Keeping, PEER Yoga, Whole Health, Alternative Healing Modalities, Trauma Healing, Somatics.
Available Services
Peer Support
Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) and Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS) in the State of Wisconsin
Service Provider in the Milwaukee County Youth and Adult CCS Networks
Available for private practice peer support geared for Peer Workers/Professionals
Peer advocay support navigating legal processes - PEER Pro Se
MHA National Certified Peer Specialist (NCPS) Credential
Virtual Sessions Available!
Yoga
200- Hour Registered Yoga Teacher and practicing for 12+ years. Their approach is to suport individuals to develeop a self-assisted practice that is accessible and inclusive.
PEER Ashtanga / PEER Yoga - a practice geared towards dismantling power dynamics and building community. Yoga is more than just phyical postures!
Find our more by
contacting Heather directly for information on practice location, dates, times and cost for sliding scale membership, scholarship, or trade.
Virtual Sessions Available!
Education and Training
600+ hours of experience in delivering training to adult learners.
Heather's Credentials include:
BA in Anthropology & Certificate in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Phi Beta Kappa
Train-the-Trainer Certificate from UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education
Narcan Training and Distribution
Providing Peer Based Recovery Support Services for Pregnant and Parenting Families - Trainer
Wellness Recovery Action Planning - Facilitator
Alternatives2Suicide - Harm Reduction Facilitator
NIATx - Evidence Based Process Improvment Facilitator
State of Wisconsin Peer Specialist Trainer
More
Consulting and Wellness Services Available:
Program Development
Grant Writing
Private Reiki Sessions - Energy Based Healing
Reiki Level 1 & Level 2 Workshops
Continuging Education Workshops
Zine Coming soon: The Yoga of Peer Support
Podcast coming soon!
Free Consultation - Call to Schedule
and/or
Contact Heather to build customized programming and for equity based payment and/or trade!
Virtual Sessions Available!
Meet Heather
Heather (she/they) is a Certified Peer Specialist and Certified Parent Peer Specialist. Heather has lived experience with mental health, substance use and trauma. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher and and Reiki Master. She supports her peers through developing a self-assisted practice from a peer perspective. They are guided by the principles and values of peer support and believes there are many pathways to recovery, wellness, and building a life worth living. Additionally, she understands what it is like to be a parent in a neurodiverse family. She has experience navigating complex medical care needs related to autoimmune conditions and other health needs - she is a spoonie (See Spoon Theory for more information)! Heather is aware of dozens of services and supports available in the Milwaukee Community and across Wisconsin and can connect folks to needed services; she has even supported folks across the US navigating various service systems in different states. Heather also has experience navigating legal processes Pro Se representing herself.
Heather’s path has included navigating residential and outpatient substance use treatment services, shelter placement, inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, navigating legal process in the court system and various trauma and mental health related services – formal and informal. Their approach and understanding of recovery and a living a life worth living is deeply influenced by social justice movements – Heather advocates for improved outcomes for individuals and families navigating various systems and services.
Land Acknowledgement
“Heather acknowledges that in Milwaukee they live and work on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homelands along the southwest shores of Michigami, part of North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee, and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Mohican nations remain present. They further acknowledge the grave evil colonialism introduced to these lands through genocide as well as slavery, and also via racist and xenophobic beliefs, laws, and practices that continue to inflict harm upon Black, brown, and Indigenous lives. They honor those who have lived—and do live, now—at these intersections of identity and experience, and are committed to the active dismantling of white supremacy.”
Source: https://uwm.edu/eqi/about/land-acknowledgement/
Resource: https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/native-land-map/
Creating Win-Win Solutions for Complex Problems
In their free time, you can find Heather taking up space at the skate park in colorful attire on quad skates rolling around with their 4 children on bikes, scooters and skateboards - when spoons are available!
Additional Information and Resources
- What is Peer Support?
https://www.wicps.org/certified-peer-specialist/
- What is NiaTx?
https://www.niatx.net/
- What is Systems Thinking and Systems Mapping?
https://waterscenterst.org/why-systems-thinking?tab=benefits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPW0j2Bo_eY
- What is the Spoon Theory?
•https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/
- What is Harm Reduction?
https://harmreduction.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/NHRC-PDF-Principles_Of_Harm_Reduction.pdf
What does Accessible and Inclusive Yoga look like?
- What is Reiki?
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/reiki/
- What is Universal Design?
https://www.washington.edu/doit/what-universal-design-0
- What is Disability Justice?
- What is Ableism?
https://www.accessliving.org/newsroom/blog/ableism-101/
- Medical Model vs. Social Model of Disability:
https://www.nccj.org/ableism
- What is Alternatives2Suicide?
https://www.communitypsychology.com/new-approach-to-suicide/