Listen in with Selena Rowan as she interviews herbalist and peer support specialist Dawn Cohoe of Maple Twig Medicinals. They cover wide ranging ground exploring the concept of Peer Support, a non-hierarchical practice of giving and receiving help, most commonly applied to mental health and addictions recovery but with wide ranging applications, including herbal medicine. Peer support is based on a philosophy of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement on what is helpful, with its goal to promote holistic healing and growth in the context of community.
Dawn and Selena touch in on the radical origins of the modern peer support movement in relationship to the mental health system and mental health recovery, personal stories relating to peer support, and breaking down the false dichotomy between "those who know" and "those who don't". Dawn reminds us that when working in any helping profession, whether that be when supporting those in mental health recovery or in any other situation, we as practitioners "need more vulnerability and less fragility."
To learn more, connect with Dawn at www.mapletwigmedicinals.com and Selena at ninesistersbotanicals.com and follow their pages on Facebook!
(Content warning: This discussion makes brief mention of suicidal thoughts. If you or a loved one are experiencing distress, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24/7 to provide support at 1-800-273-8255. )
