Alaska Peer Resilience Network Trainings
The Ak Peer Resilience Network brings together Peer Supporters all over rural Alaska, for learnings together, advocacy and brain-storming about common issues, staying in touch, and sharing our projects. We have an online network with live events, plus lots of in-person opportunities. Our Peer Trainers travel around rural Alaskan towns, giving trainings which support people in recovery from trauma, addiction and emotional storms, to use their valuable life experience to become inspired professionals in a more holistic, effective behavioral health care system. All of our trainings are state approved for Peer Support Certification and we offer specialized trainings for our Alaskan First Peoples; for supervisors of Peer Supports; and for youth to learn emotional self-care. We also provide Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) classes, which is a national best practice for wellness. If you are interested in partnering with us to bring one of our trainings to your town, or you want to attend a training, please get in touch!
Here is what we currently offer:
Natural Peer Support
This is a 38 hour Alaska State approved training for Peer Support Certification. Explore the recovery principles and practices of hope, mutuality, “being with”, and strengths-based language. Study the history and leaders of the Peer Support movement as well as alternate views on madness and addiction. Practice co-counseling, telling your recovery story, and role-playing. Learn Peer Support as a discipline with unique skills, and best practices in alignment with SAMHSA’s Peer Support Core Competencies.
This is a highly interactive training, designed for people who have personal experience with recovery from emotional storms, trauma and addiction, or family members. It is an opportunity to study new skills, share our life experiences and join the world-wide peer empowerment movement.
‣ in person, hands-on, immersive learning
‣ held in your city or town, with a customized schedule over 1-2 weeks
‣ for 10-25 participants, bring your life experience
‣ for Alaska Peer Support Certification, CEUs available.
Traditional Path for Indigenous Wellness through Peer Support
This 55 hour live training brings together two great traditions: Alaska’s Tribal Traditional Healers, and the discipline known as Peer Support. This training is for Alaska State Traditional Peer Support Associate certification. This path leads away from the traumas of colonization, and opens up towards the strengths of Alaska’s indigenous cultural roots. We build upon the idea that the culture IS the medicine. We learn tribal healing modalities and study cultural values; challenge each other to grow beyond historical trauma, current limiting beliefs or harmful circumstances, and build healthy community-based lives.
This is a highly interactive training, designed for tribal people who have personal experience with recovery from emotional storms, trauma and addiction, or family members.
Integrating Traditional Healing with Conventional Medical Treatment
Historical Indigenous Leaders of Peer Support
Connecting to Alaskan First Peoples’ Cultures
Indigenous Ancestral Values
Rewriting Our Past, Healing Generations of Cultural Trauma
Traditional Spirituality’s Role in Healing
Traditional Diet’s Role in Healing
Belonging
‣ in person, hands-on, immersive learning
‣ held in your city or town, with a customized schedule
‣ 7 days for 10-25 participants, bring your life experience
‣ approved for Alaska Traditional Peer Support Certification, CEUs available
YES (youth emotional self-care)
YES includes tools for younger humans to effectively work with their own inner anxiety, depression, feelings of self-loathing and self-harm, and rage; plus build more inner joy and compassion:
- Get to know ourselves games
- Visualization meditations: The Garden, Golden Light, My Safe Place, Visiting my inner child
- Yoga moves for trauma
- Identifying emotions
- Tapping, self-shiatsu, breath work, other energy shifting self-care
- Emotional self-care through Art, Journaling, Gratitude and Music
- Practicing being present with the five senses, using physical objects for connection/stability
- Nature talk, mirror talk
This is a 10 hour workshop for ages 13-18
Youthful Peer Support
Peer Support is a discipline with unique skills. Young humans are innately strong in the area of support, yet they need guidance to stay safe, stay well, and not burn out. This is a 20 hour introduction to the basics of peer support, wherein young people can learn to transform past experiences into healing for themselves and others. How can they inspire and empower each other? Young participants will learn how to walk beside a peer when they are in trouble, and keep everyone safe. They will practice cocounseling; how to hold a support circle; and how to start a self-discovery club. We will include plenty of interactive exercises, story telling and games.
‣ in person, hands-on, immersive learning
‣ held in your city or town, with a customized schedule
‣ for 10-25 participants, ages 14 up, bring your life experience
WHAM (Whole Health Action Management)
This is a peer-to-peer program (developed by the National Council's SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions) to promote whole health and wellness self-care. We will bring this to participants over a 10 week period, beginning over a weekend and continuing once per week, via zoom or in-person. Participants will partner with each other to identify strengths, develop weekly action plans, and work together using positive reinforcement to meet one personal whole health goal, in one of ten life domains. Rather than struggle alone, we all collaborate and support others’ efforts. Each student will get a workbook of their own. WHAM is easy to use and implement and young people, especially, have done very well in our prior classes.
WHAM is grounded in these ten mind/body resiliency factors:
1) stress management
2) healthy eating
3) physical activity
4) restful sleep
5) service to others
6) support network
7) optimism based on positive expectations
8) cognitive skills to avoid negative thinking
9) spiritual beliefs and practices
10) a sense of meaning and purpose
For 10-20 students, ages 15 up to adults
REFRESH & RENEW
Keep your Peer Support Services refreshed with our annual R & R trainings: we will review skills, renew connections, listen to each other, and bring the latest evidenced-based learnings from national programs.
‣ in person, hands-on, immersive learning
‣ held in your city or town, with a customized schedule over 1-2 weeks
‣ for 10-30 participants, bring your Peer Support experience
‣ for Alaska Peer Support Re-Certification, CEUs available.
Essential Peer Support Supervision
Many behavioral health clinicians and providers around Alaska will find themselves newly supervising certified Peer Support Specialists now. In this 8 hour training, learn how Peer Supports can augment treatment teams, and help to achieve positive outcomes for your clients. Learn how to effectively support your Peer Staff, how to keep everyone safe, and what the worldwide standards are for Peer Support Services.
‣ via zoom - hands-on, immersive learning
‣ CEUs available
‣ for 8-25 participants, bring your supervision experience