Category: Health and Wellness
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The History of the Peer Support Movement
An explanation of what it means to be a peer from a PEERS coordinator By Heather Riemer What is a peer in the world of mental health? In general terms, a peer is a person whom we identify with in some capacity, whether it’s through sexual orientation, race, or age. In mental and behavioral health,…
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A Primer on our PEERS’ Support Groups and Programs
Get to know our programs before they start back up By Alejandro Ramos As the month of July winds down, so does our summer break here at PEERS. That means one thing for us: the return of our support groups! With that in mind, here’s a quick primer on our support groups so you can…
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July is Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
Also known as BIPOC Mental Health Month, this month carries on the famed author’s legacy By Leah Harris Bebe Moore Campbell was a journalist, author, and advocate whose work explored history, policy, race, and mental health in America. Her 2005 novel 72 Hour Hold was based on her family’s lived experiences, illuminating the challenges and…
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Get Ready for Summer with These Playlists
With the days getting longer, it’s time to keep those feel-good jams going longer as well By Kimberly Marquez-Cortes As we enter a semi-post Covid world I know that I am taking a special look at my wellness tools for this summer. In the spirit of collaboration and mutual learning, I’d like to share a…
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Home is Where the Heart Is
An ode and a guide to the beauty of making your living space your own By Heather Riemer Our home is so much more than a roof and walls, It is a place where we explore the possibilities of who we are. Whether we have a place that’s a tiny studio or something larger, it…
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Music is Medicine for Wellness and Joy
Our Senior Program Manager Bre shares how she uses music to uplift her mood within her wellness practice By Bre Williams Summertime is upon us! We are still in the shadows of the pandemic, but we can get out of our homes and get out in the sun! Being outside and soaking up some sun,…
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Celebrate Queer Mental Wellness with these Resources in the Bay Area
A guide to celebrations and resources centering mental wellness in the LGBTQ community in the Bay By Leah Harris Happy Pride Month! This Pride season, here’s a roundup of local and national resources that support and promote the mental wellness and social connection of LGBTQ+ folks. Please feel free to share these resources widely. Pride…
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Money and Mental Health: The Big M’s of Life
Managing money wisely can be helpful in managing overall mental health By Heather Riemer I will start this post off with this quote from French philosopher Albert Camus: “It is a kind of a spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.” I know from experience that it’s difficult to be…
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Remembering Jay Mahler
PEERS commemorates the life and work of a pioneer in the Bay Area mental health and peer community By PEERS Staff It is with great sadness that we share the news that long time mental health advocate Jay Mahler passed away last week. For the past 50 years, Jay worked tirelessly to improve mental health…
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Upcoming Event: A Night of Wellness and Healing for the Black Community
PEERS is presenting a night of Black Healing and Wellness Summit on June 3rd at 6 pm. We will have our Black Wellness and Resilience experts Regina Simpkins and Darren White and guest speakers Alicia Holcombe, Shawana Atkins and Jenee Darden providing content and solutions on what self-care and healing looks like for you and the Black…