It Starts With Us: Rethinking Supervision to Strengthen Peer Support from the Inside Out

There are moments in this work when we are called not just to lead, but to reflect, adapt, and grow alongside the people we support. I’m honored to be presenting at the 3rd Annual Peer Support Profession Summit, hosted by BIPOC Parent Mental Health Project, taking place May 19–20 in Niagara Falls. This gathering brings together peers, supervisors, and leaders from across New York and North America who are deeply committed to advancing peer support through equity, inclusion, and the power of lived experience.

Events like this are more than conferences. They are spaces where real conversations happen, where challenges are named openly, and where new approaches begin to take shape. For anyone working in or alongside peer support, this summit offers an opportunity to reconnect with purpose while gaining practical tools to move the work forward.

During the summit, I’ll be facilitating a 90-minute session titled It Starts With Us: Supporting Peer Staff Through Trauma-Informed Supervision. This session is rooted in a simple but often overlooked truth: what shows up in the workplace is rarely just about behavior. It is about what sits beneath it.

Peer professionals bring invaluable lived experience into their roles. That experience is a strength, but it also means that stress, pressure, and workplace dynamics can activate trauma responses in ways that are not always immediately visible. Responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn are not signs of resistance or disengagement. They are adaptive patterns shaped over time.

In our session, we will take a closer look at how these responses can show up in peer staff and, more importantly, how supervisors can respond in ways that foster psychological safety rather than unintentionally escalating stress. The focus is not on theory alone. Participants will leave with practical, usable strategies to navigate difficult moments, strengthen communication, and build trust without compromising accountability.

This approach closely aligns with the work we do at Silver Linings International, where we support organizations in building emotionally intelligent, trauma-informed leadership practices. Through our trainings and facilitation, we help leaders develop the awareness and skills needed to lead with both clarity and compassion, especially in high-impact, people-centered environments like peer support.

The impact of this work is far-reaching. When peer staff feel supported, they are more likely to stay and grow within their roles. When they stay, relationships with the individuals they serve deepen. And when those relationships are strong, outcomes improve across the board.

If you are a supervisor, peer professional, or organizational leader who is thinking about the future of this field, this summit is a meaningful place to invest your time and energy. It is also a chance to be part of a larger movement that is redefining what supportive, inclusive workplaces can look like.

If you plan to attend, I hope you will join the session and take part in the conversation. And if our paths cross, I welcome the opportunity to connect.