What Peer Support Really Means: Voices of Hope from Sunshine CHC
- Sunshine Staff
- Nov 25
- 4 min read
At Sunshine Community Health Center, we believe healing doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens in connection. For many people across the Upper Susitna communities, finding someone who truly understands their struggles can be life-changing. That’s why our Peer Support Program exists: to offer compassion, shared experience, and strength through honest human connection.
Peer Support is more than a service — it’s a relationship, a bridge, and a reminder that no one has to walk their journey alone.
Two of Sunshine CHC’s Peer Support Specialists, Terri Gagne and Heather Barnes, shared their stories and insights to help our community understand the heart behind this work and the hope it brings.
🌱 What Is Peer Support?
Peer Support is a unique form of care provided by individuals who have lived through mental health challenges, substance use recovery, trauma, or difficult life transitions — and now use those experiences to help others.
Unlike traditional therapy or clinical services, Peer Support focuses on:
Shared lived experience
Mutual trust
Empowerment
Practical tools
Nonjudgmental listening
Building hope
As Terri puts it:
“A Peer Support Specialist is an individual ready to partner with another as they walk through struggles in their journey. We are here to listen, share experiences, help them identify tools and resources, and build a partnership that gives them the support to see a brighter future.”
Heather describes it as:
“Walking beside someone—not to fix them, but to understand them.”
This is the foundation of peer support: You don’t have to have everything figured out to show up — you just have to show up.
💛 Why People Choose to Become Peer Support Specialists
For both Terri and Heather, their calling to this work was born from personal experience.
Terri shares:
“I enjoy helping and inspiring individuals to be the best they can be. By sharing the hardships and bumps in our own lives, others can recognize they are not alone and have the power to turn a dark day into a brighter tomorrow.”
Heather echoes that sentiment:
“I was inspired by my own lived experiences and by the people who showed up for me when I needed support the most. Their presence made a profound difference. I wanted to be that kind of support for others.”
Peer Support Specialists understand pain, healing, and resilience not from textbooks, but from lived moments. They meet people where they are — without judgment, pressure, or expectations.
🌄 Why Peer Support Matters in Rural Alaska
Alaska’s communities are resilient, but they can also be isolating — especially for those facing mental health challenges, addiction, or major life stress.
Terri shared:
“Our community of Willow is small and can be isolating for individuals with limited transportation, abilities, or support. Peer support gives people access to help and community they may not otherwise have.”
Heather added:
“Alaska’s communities are close-knit and deeply connected to the land. Recovery often happens in small groups, through real relationships. That sense of community support is powerful and unique.”
Connection — real, honest, human connection — is one of the strongest protective factors for mental health. Peer Support helps build that connection.
🧭 What Happens in a Peer Support Group?
If you’re thinking about attending but feel nervous — that’s completely normal.
Both Heather and Terri emphasized that groups are relaxed, welcoming spaces where you can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable.
Heather describes it like this:
“We often start with a check-in, then talk about a topic like coping skills or resilience. There’s no pressure and no requirement to speak. People can come as they are.”
Terri adds:
“We help each other by sharing stories, talking through situations we’re struggling with, and offering ideas and support. Most importantly, we build friendships and support systems we can call on when life gets hard.”
There is no attendance requirement. No expectations.
No judgment.
Just support.
🌤️ What People Gain From Peer Support
Peer Support is a proven model that improves:
Emotional well-being
Confidence
Decision-making
Self-awareness
Recovery outcomes
Social connection
Terri often helps people stay hopeful by shifting their focus:
“I remind them how far they’ve come, the positives in their day, and the tools they have to rise above a tough stretch.”
Heather notes:
“Sometimes hope is simply borrowed — when someone can’t find their own, I hold it for them until they can see it again.”
🌾 How Peer Support Specialists Care for Themselves
Supporting others requires refilling one’s own cup. Both specialists shared their wellness practices:
Terri:
Meditation, walking her dog, inspiring speakers, reading, creative home projects.
Heather:
Boundaries, journaling, prayer, rest, time outdoors, and grounding practices.
Self-care makes their support sustainable — and helps model healthy habits for participants.
💬 What They Want the Community to Understand
Heather wishes more people understood that:
“Recovery is possible — and it looks different for everyone. Compassion goes further than judgment.”
Terri hopes people remember:
“Wellness and recovery are not easy roads. We must empathize by taking a walk in another person’s shoes before we judge.”
Peer Support is built on that compassion.
🌿 Thinking About Joining a Group? Here’s What Terri & Heather Want You to Know
“You’re not alone, and you don’t have to have everything figured out. You are welcome just as you are.” — Heather
“We’re here to fully support you. Participate at whichever clinic feels best — or both.” — Terri
You don’t need a referral.
You don’t need to be in crisis.
You don’t need the perfect words.
Just come as you are.
📅 Sunshine CHC Peer Support Group Schedule
Talkeetna Clinic🟢 1st & 3rd Thursdays🕐 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Willow Clinic🟣 2nd & 4th Wednesdays🕒 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
📞 To join or learn more: Call 907-733-9292
At Sunshine CHC, we are committed to providing community-driven healthcare, rooted in the strength and resilience of rural Alaska — and Peer Support is a beautiful example of that mission in action.
Let us walk with you.
You don’t have to do this alone.
Sunshine Community Health Center
1-907-376-2273 (CARE)
*This article was written with the support of AI*