Sometimes, in an effort to meet people where they are in life, we must also meet hope where it resides. In the Art Room on the Activities floor of the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), Emily Nelson, the Director of Training and Outreach at the Oregon Peer Training and Innovations Center (OPTIC), utilizes the canvas of her own life to illustrate the relevance of life experiences and how they can manifest into concepts of peer support, empowering health, wellness, and hope in others.

OPTIC is a program of the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO). MHAAO applied for and received a grant from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) for Emily to collaborate with the Lakota Oyate-Ki cultural club at OSP to train adults in custody (AIC) on becoming Peer Wellness Specialists (PWS). PWS training is the only dual-approved training in Oregon for both mental illness and addiction.

Over 80 hours spanning four weeks, the training was provided to 24 AICs. It included a 17-module student training guide with written assignments, in-person lessons, role-play, and a final test. Lessons covered topics from Social Awareness and Cultural Knowledge to Health Across the Lifespan. Emily emphasized the importance of Self-Care, Motivational Interviewing, the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, and the significance of utilizing the Trauma-Informed Approach to Peer Support.

According to the Lakota club, the PWS training at OSP has been five years in the making, aiming to change the prison culture from within. It seeks to promote newly acquired PWS skills to better connect with fellow club members, other groups within OSP, and to give back to the broader community beyond prison walls and upon release.

Emily Nelson’s commitment and motivation stem from the positive ripple effect this work can have. By bringing PWS training to OSP, this ripple will continue to move through members of society who may not have otherwise had this opportunity. The 24 AICs at OSP who successfully completed this training are a testament to what can be achieved when hope meets individuals where they are, as evidenced in the Art Room on the Activities floor of the Oregon State Penitentiary.

Article by OSP PIO Media Team Members/PIO Stephanie Lane, AIC Randy Guzek