The South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) invites peer specialists from across Region 6 to apply for the Youth and Young Adult Peer Specialist training. The Youth and Young Adults Peer Support training was developed to train peer supporters on the topics of youth voice and issues specific to youth navigating mental health or substance use challenges. The Youth and Young Adults Peer Support training is available for anyone who works, or is interested in working, as a peer specialist. This three-day training provides participants with a foundation for youth experience with mental health and substance use challenges, the unique issues for youth navigating recovery and youth-serving systems, and best practices and tools for peer specialists looking to support youth. The training will also encourage participants to consider how to use their own lived experience when supporting youth through structured reflection, group discussion, and interactive activities.

There is no age requirement for participating in this training. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis, so we encourage interested folks to apply early since space in the training may fill up quickly. Not all applicants will be accepted as we have limited seats available.

The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is appropriate for anyone working or volunteering (or interested in working or volunteering) as a peer specialist. The only prerequisite to attendance is that participants must have previous formal training in peer support practice (e.g., their state’s Peer Specialist certification training, Intentional Peer Support, etc.). Priority consideration will be given to people who are interested in attending the YAYAPS Training of Trainers so that they may facilitate the Youth and Young Adult Peer Support Training in their communities.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this training, it is envisioned that participants will be able ​​to:

• Define the term “youth”
• Identify and practice effective ways of meeting youth and young people “where they are”
• Build authentic connections with young people based on lived experience, regardless of differences in age or other experiences
• Identify stigmatizing language used to describe young people and effectively reframe such language through the lens of peer values

• Understand how resistance or other actions may be forms of self-advocacy, communication, or responses to trauma
• Identify common responses to trauma that young people experience
• Support young people in exploring different ways to heal from trauma
• Utilize foundational knowledge of power and privilege to support youth experiencing oppression
• Assist young people in learning to advocate for themselves within the settings that young people must navigate

• Set and hold boundaries with persons served and coworkers
• Identify challenges and ethical boundaries for supporting family members of a young person

Facilitators

Amey Dettmer

Amey Dettmer has nearly fifteen years of experience in the peer support workforce. She has worked as a peer support specialist in direct service settings, as a peer supervisor, and as a nationally recognized peer support educator. Amey is a well known leader in the peer support movement and has worked with peer supporters in all 50 states and from around the World. She was recognized by the National Association of Peer Supporters(N.A.P.S.)  in 2018 with the “Disruptive Innovator Award” highlighting her work in youth peer leadership and honoring her as a young adult who has made a significant transformative contribution to the field of Peer Support through leadership, programming, and activism. 

Amey is distinguished as an Advanced Level Facilitator, an Organizational Intentional Peer Support Trainer, a Youth and Young Adult Peer Support Trainer, and an Alternatives to Suicide group facilitator. She currently is employed with Pathways Vermont as a statewide training specialist. Currently, she serves as chair of the Vermont Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Council and is a Board Member of Disability Rights Vermont.  

When not pursuing her passion for peer support, Amey is focusing her energy on motherhood and raising her children in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, watching wildlife and building meaningful connections in her local community.

Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams (she/her) is a Certified Peer and Recovery Support Specialist, trainer, and mental health advocate. Since beginning her journey in 2010 as a Warm Line specialist and supervisor, Vanessa has made significant strides in the field of peer support. She has presented at several behavioral health agencies and conferences on the importance of employment opportunities for behavioral health peer support specialists.She offers continuing education training courses for Peer Specialists and facilitates support groups to support and uplift the Black community. Vanessa also serves as the Board President for the National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S.). 

Specializing in the application of accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (A-JEDI) principles, Vanessa helps organizations enhance their workplace culture, leading to improved representation, productivity, and employee retention. Her expertise extends to peer support leadership, mentoring, and coaching from a trauma-informed perspective. Vanessa's contributions to healthcare education have earned her recognition as a finalist for The Phoenix Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes awards in 2016 and 2017.  

In addition to her peer specialist work, she returned to college and earned an AAS in Organizational Management from Rio Salado College, a BAS in Public Administration from Northern Arizona University, and a MS in Leadership from Grand Canyon University. She is currently working on a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.