Perry Wellness Center is known statewide as a pioneering Georgia program for peer support and recovery. But many individuals are not aware of what these terms actually mean. To provide community education on the peer recovery movement in behavioral health, Mental Health America (formerly known as the Mental Health Association) offers a variety of informative materials on its website.

MHA’s Center for Peer Support  features webinars, videos, and readings on research, policy, and public awareness. We’d like to recommend two examples to our readers. One is an upcoming webinar that is available for free to the public.

On the Mental Health America calendar link, interested individuals can find information on an upcoming webinar and register. The next scheduled webinar on peer support is:

What Works in Mental Health? Measuring the Impact of Peer Support Services

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 2 PM. This webinar will focus on the impact of peer support specialists on the health and wellbeing of individuals with mental illness. It will review some of the other benefits, including reductions in hospitalizations and ER visits.

Mental Health America has also produced a moving video on the “civil rights movement” for individuals with mental illness, which has led to a move from long-term (or permanent) hospitalizations to greater community treatment and support. The video, entitled From Asylum to Recovery is available on YouTube.

We hope that Mental Health America’s Center for Peer Support will answer questions and offer insights on the huge community benefits of peer support and the recovery movement.