Veteran Peer Specialist, Virginia Veteran and Family Support

A Veteran Peer Specialist is a person with a behavioral health or co-occurring condition, actively engaged in their own recovery. The specialists are trained and certified to help others with these conditions to identify and achieve specific life and recovery goals.

Peer Specialists serve as role models by sharing their personal recovery stories, showing that recovery is possible. They teach goal setting, problem solving, symptom management skills and a variety of recovery tools. They empower veterans by helping them dentify their strengths, supports, resources and skills. They advocate for veterans by working to eliminate the stigma of behavioral health disorders and act as community liaisons by identifying social supports in the community and encouraging the expansion of local community resources. Services are provided through satellite offices in Lebanon, Grundy, and Tazewell.