PEER Voices Podcast

What if healing from trauma isn't about reliving the pain, but about taking back your power and rewriting your story? In this episode, Pristina "PJ" Jackson reveals how she turned childhood trauma and complex PTSD into a life of purpose as a bold advocate for mental health and addiction recovery. PJ opens up about the years she spent cycling through hospitals, therapy, and even electroshock treatm...

Peer support saves lives, reduces relapse, and strengthens recovery — yet too often, it's undervalued and underfunded. In this episode, hosts Juliet Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard sit down with longtime recovery advocate Cheri Walter to explore why peer services matter and how advocacy can amplify their impact. Cheri, a person in long-term recovery and board member of The P.E.E.R. Center, brings...

In peer support, your title might say "peer supporter / specialist," but your life experience, education, and skills often add up to much more. Many peers wear multiple hats—combining lived experience with roles like social worker, counselor, advocate, educator, or even executive director.   In this episode, we explore what it means to bring all those roles into the room. Our hosts, Juliet and Gab...

Whether you're a certified peer supporter or a licensed clinician, the work of supporting others can be deeply meaningful—but also deeply draining. Both roles carry heavy emotional weight, and both require real commitment. Yet, the way we talk about and practice self-care often looks very different between the two. In this episode, guest Jennifer Martinez joins hosts Juliet and Gabe to explore the...

In this powerful episode of PEERVoices, Gabe Howard and Juliet Dorris-Williams sit down with Stephanie Mitchell Hughes, Assistant Director at NAMI Franklin County, to explore her deeply personal journey through major depressive disorder and the challenges of solo parenting. Stephanie opens up about her early struggles with depression, the turning point that led her to seek help, and the ongoing ba...

Join Juliet Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard on PEERVoices as they sit down with Teresa Conley, the longtime manager of Pathway Clubhouse in Columbus, Ohio. Teresa shares her 33 years of experience in the mental health field and reflects on the deep-rooted partnership between Pathway Clubhouse and the PEER Center. Discover how these organizations emphasize a power-neutral approach by treating membe...

In this episode of PEERVoices, hosts Juliet Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard sit down with Michelle Beyer, executive director of ASCEND and a passionate advocate for peer support. Michelle shares insights about ASCEND's unique peer respite program, the only one of its kind for adults in Ohio. She explains how this non-clinical, home-like environment offers an alternative to crisis centers, providin...

In this insightful episode, our hosts speak with Kimberly Ewing, the lead trainer for eCPR, about the transformative power of peer support. Moving beyond the common perception of peer support as just another tool, they emphasize its profound personal impact. Peer support is more than just "peers talking to peers"; it has far-reaching goals and uses.   Kimberly shares her journey and the importance...

Join our hosts for an in-depth conversation about the power and challenges of peer advocacy in mental health and addiction recovery. Featuring guest Cheri L. Walter from OACBHA, this episode explores the necessity for peers to be loud, out, and proud. Hosts Juliet and Gabe share insights on overcoming stigma and navigating the barriers peers face in gaining a seat at the table.   Discover the impo...

In this episode, our hosts sit down with the CEO of the Summit Recovery Hub, China Darrington, to explore the often-contentious divide between mental health and substance use disorder recovery. China shares her personal story with mental health issues and addiction while advocating for an integrated approach for peer recovery supporters.   China also emphasizes the importance of understanding the...

Well, this is it! Another season of PEERVoices done. Join Gabe and Juliet as they speak with our editor, Lisa Kiner, about the highlights of the 2023 season of PEERVoices. We talk about our favorite episodes, our favorite guests, and what we learned through the process.   It talked about what works in peer advocacy and anger has a place. I don't think anything's changed in the world until somebody...

Part of the stigma of mental illness and addiction is that those living with these conditions are erratic, unpredictable, and violent. But that simply isn't true. Join us as Vincent Sabino, the state director for Recovery Innovations International, explains that his organization takes a different approach. Focusing on creating rapport and trust with their guests (and they call the people they serv...

Sharon Fitzpatrick is a pillar of the peer recovery support community in Ohio. Join Gabe and Juliet as Sharon tells us her story and explains how those experiences brought her to the work of peer support. Sharon also shares that there is a stigma against peers in the workplace, and we all need to be aware of that.     Don't be paranoid, but be aware, that they're looking. The clinicians are lookin...

OhioMHAS recently announced that the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professional Board will begin handling some aspect of the certification or peer recovery supporters in Ohio. What does that mean? Will the peer voice and point of view be heard? Join us as the chair of the board, Dr. Drew Moss, speaks with Juliet about this and other topics such as profesionalizing the peer recovery supporter workforce...

When you hear the phrase "peer advocacy" do you think of someone standing on a stage sharing their personal story? But what about all the other types of work peer recovery supporters are doing? Are other types of advocacy less important than sharing your story? Where does that fit in? Today's guest is Michael Krause, the executive director of OhioPRO. Michael shares his thoughts about the importan...

We've all heard horror stories of what happens when police officers have to deal with people living with mental illness. What can we do to make horrible things not happen so often? The answer is CIT, Crisis Intervention Training. Join us as Sergeant Matt Harris, the supervisor of the Columbus, Ohio mobile crisis unit explains some of the history of CIT in Franklin County, and what his day to day w...

Our last show discussed the pros and cons of peer recovery supporters receiving services from the place where they work.   Turns out that our hosts, Juliet C. Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard, have more to say!   Listen in as they continue the discussion.  How much of the refusal to access services is stigma?   Are we stigmatizing ourselves?   Is your employer on your side?   Do you distrust your a...

S hould peer recovery supporters receive services from the place where they work?   Or is it better to go elsewhere?   This common question doesn't have a straightforward answer.   You trust the quality of your agency, but do you trust the discretion of your co-workers?  Join our hosts, Juliet C. Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard , as they discuss the pros and cons of getting treatment close to home...

On this episode of PEER Voices, our hosts, Juliet C. Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard, are joined by TPC's Assistant Director, Deidra James.   Deidra has been with The PEER Center since its founding, and is a critical component of the agency's success. Deidra's cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and sunny disposition can make our difficult work feel easier.   Listen in as Deidra explains her role at TPC, sh...

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine created the RecoveryOhio Initiative to coordinate and improve how the state addresses mental health and substance use disorders. The Advisory Council includes a diverse group of individuals who have worked to address mental illness or substance use issues in prevention, treatment, advocacy, or support services, as well as other government and community organizations Our o...

Facilitating a support group is a lot of pressure.   Standing in front of a room full of people who are looking to you for answers is nerve-racking.   Our hosts, Juliet Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard have been there!   On this episode of PEER Voices, they share the knowledge and experience gained through guiding hundreds of peer groups.   Whether you are a seasoned leader or just starting out, Ju...

Everyone has had a bad boss.   But what can you do about it?   How do you balance the needs of the employee vs. the agency?   And what are supervisors looking for in new hires? Join our hosts, Juliet C. Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard, as they interview Susan Steed, a certified peer recovery supporter and program manager at The PEER Center.  Susan tells us about her personal history of mental illn...

"It's not about you."   How often do you have to remind yourself of that?   When providing peer support, the focus is on those we serve, not on ourselves.   We try hard to never "give just to get."   But helping others still has a positive impact on our own recovery journeys.   It can even lead to stunningly deep insights into larger issues. On today's show, our hosts, Juliet C. Dorris-Williams an...

The PEER Center is a drop-in support and recovery center in Columbus, Ohio.   But when anyone and everyone can "drop-in" there is bound to be conflict, right?   Not necessarily.   Join our hosts Juliet Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard , as they welcome DeShawn Davis, our Director of Facilities and Security.       DeShawn explains the surprising keys to maintaining a safe and secure space – using de...

The New Year is here, and we are all hard at work on our resolutions.   Do you want to lose weight?   Get more organized?   Quit smoking?   Did you make the same resolution last year?   What about the year before that?   Join our hosts, Juliet C. Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard , as they discuss why making a New Year's resolution can be damaging and how to work towards long-term goals and recovery...