Vanderheyden Partnering with the New York State Office of Mental Health to Launch the Family and Youth Peer Workforce Initiative
I am writing today to share an exciting new opportunity designed to uplift and empower individuals with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges. Vanderheyden is partnering with the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) to launch the Family and Youth Peer Workforce Initiative—a program aimed at expanding and diversifying the Youth and Family Peer Advocate workforce throughout our region.
This initiative will:
- Provide training and certification for individuals to become credentialed Youth and/or Family Peer Advocates.
- Offer financial stipends to participants as they progress through the credentialing and employment process.
- Create a pipeline to meaningful employment in the mental health field for those with lived experience.
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Partner with local community-based and grassroots organizations to recruit, support, and connect interested individuals to the program.
We believe this initiative can be a powerful tool to support your community members—especially those who may be underrepresented in the mental health workforce—and we would love your help spreading the word.
Please feel free to:
- Share this opportunity with individuals and families you work with who may be interested in becoming certified Peer Advocates.
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Connect with us if your organization is interested in partnering more directly to support community outreach, recruitment, or education around this initiative.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or interest in collaboration. We would be honored to work alongside you to make this initiative successful. [email protected]