Thursday, December 18 | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Advocates for Recovery – Westminster Office
3440 W 71st Pl, Westminster, CO 80030
(Peer Support Professionals Only)
New Year, New Peer: A BRANCH Fireside Chat with Tonya Wheeler
Start the new year by getting loud about what peer work is really for.
For December’s BRANCH, New Year, New Peer, we are featuring Tonya Wheeler, Executive Director of Advocates for Recovery Colorado, in a live fireside chat on the peer movement, the CPFS credential, and what it looks like to protect the soul of peer support in Colorado.
Tonya has spent her career working to set an example of authentic peer work, peer movement, and advocacy. Her vision is unapologetic:
Free services for all
Built to be not self-serving and for the entire community
Focused on people, not polished optics
Most importantly, Tonya keeps the spotlight where it belongs:
“This is not about AFRC. This is about the larger recovery community across Colorado.”
This BRANCH gathering is about coming together to put a face and a voice on recovery. It is a space for peers, CPFSs, supervisors, and allies to get real about what we are building, what we refuse to compromise on, and how we move as a unified workforce.
We will dig into:
What “authentic peer work” looks like when systems pressure you to water it down
How the CPFS role can shift culture inside organizations and across Colorado
Why free, accessible, community-rooted services are non-negotiable
How we sustain ourselves and each other as a growing peer workforce
Whether you are already certified, in training, supervising peers, or just peer-curious, this event is a chance to reconnect with your “why,” meet others who share it, and step into the new year with a stronger sense of collective power.
New Year. New Peer. Same mission: a recovery community where all of us belong.
About PSP-BRANCH:
PSP BRANCH (Peer Support Professionals Building Relationships And Networking Community Harmony) is a monthly networking event exclusively for Peer Support Professionals. We gather to grow, connect, and share the truths of recovery through all pathways—because lived experience is leadership.