Essentials of Peer-run Respite: Creating New Pathways for Coloradans in Crisis

Join us for an introduction to the essential values, principles, and components of peer-run respite as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization or police intervention for persons experiencing mental or emotional crisis. This webinar is for peers and persons with lived experience, clinicians, administrators, policy makers, and advocates in Colorado to explore models and essential components of peer-run respite, understand what non-clinical peer-run respite could provide for Coloradans, and discuss your own questions about peer respite with national experts, Sera Davidow and Vic Welle. 

Featured speakers

Sera Davidow is a filmmaker, activist, advocate, author, and mother of two. As a survivor of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and domestic violence, she has faced many challenges throughout her own healing process, including many ups and downs with suicidal thoughts, and self-injury. At present, she spends much of her time working as Director of the Wildflower Alliance, which includes Afiya Peer Respite, recently recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of about two dozen exemplary, rights-based programs operating across the world. She also writes for Mad in America, and serves on several boards including the Massachusetts Disability Law Center (DLC) Board of Directors, the DLC’s Council Against Institutional and Psychiatric Abuse (CAIPA), and the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health (NCDVTM) advisory board. Additionally, she is a founding Board member of Hearing Voices USA. You can learn more about Sera and her work in a 2018 article in Sun Magazine: https://tinyurl.com/SDApr18

Victoria (Vic) Welle is a psychiatric survivor, activist, and trainer based in Miskonsing (Wisconsin). Vic is a vocal advocate for crisis alternatives and non-coercive, community-based supports for individuals experiencing emotional distress. Vic is co-founder of the survivor/peer-run organization Wisconsin Milkweed Alliance (WIMA), which operates Monarch House Peer Run Respite. After serving as program director of Monarch House, Vic now provides training and program support for this and other peer support programs. Vic is a trainer for Intentional Peer Support and the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative, and a frequent workshop presenter on topics such as peer support best practices, the role of spirituality in healing and recovery, and the need for trauma informed, culturally relevant support.

This webinar is hosted by The Yarrow Collective, an independent peer-run organization in Larimer County. Following this introductory webinar, interested attendees will have the opportunity to join a second webinar where we will take a deeper dive into implementation aspects of non-clinical peer respite. This is a no-cost, educational event, supported by grant dollars through the Larimer County Behavioral Health Impact Fund.