Peer Support

Peer support can be described as the process of giving and receiving encouragement and assistance to achieve long-term recovery. Peer support is not designed to replace the work of psychiatric care, it is made to compliment it.

Along with transforming the Barracks into transitional housing for our veterans, we are also eager to provide outreach services that can assist veterans who are transitioning from military life.

One service that can benefit veterans is that of peer support. Josh Petersen, one of our 22 2 None board members, is also a Certified Peer Support Specialist.

As a United States Army veteran, Josh understands that most veterans do not want to be fixed, they just want to be validated and heard. He recognizes that veterans go from a life of structure, where one is trained to have each other’s backs, into a world where they feel they cannot share their experiences for fear that no one will understand. Peer supporters offer not only emotional support, but they also share knowledge, teach skills, provide practical assistance, and connect people with resources, opportunities, communities of support, and other people.

Peer supporters are not here to tell you what to do, but to help guide you to find your own solutions to your struggles, while helping you realize you are not the only one. Veterans need to talk with someone who has been in their shoes, and this is where peers come in. Everyone needs a support system of some sort, and veterans talking to other veterans gives a sense of trust, confidence to reach out for help, and the feeling of someone having their backs again.

Josh will be hosting peer support meetings weekly at the Barracks during MWR Mondays. Please contact Josh at outreach@222none.org with any questions regarding outreach or peer support.