In late January, Casey House gathered to celebrate the first-ever peer graduation ceremony, celebrating the outgoing cohort for their completion of two years of peer work. The departing fourteen peers collectively provided thousands of hours of client support guided by their lived experience, wisdom, skills, and a lot of heart.
Peers engage with clients to get a deeper understanding of their health status and build social connection. They work across all domains of the building, including outpatient, Blue Door Clinic, inpatient, and external accompaniments. Learn more about the peer program here.
During the ceremony, staff expressed their gratitude to the peers. They acknowledged how peers have built a safer landscape for clients to develop meaningful peer-client support connections and stronger clinical relationships. Many clients have experienced discrimination and trauma from health care institutions, so the warm guidance from peers enables clients to re-engage back with care providers. Similarly, most of our peers have experienced these traumas firsthand. We applaud the peers for their vulnerability and ability to channel their own lived experience towards counseling our clients.
Next, our peer coordinator shared kind words, client feedback, and anecdotes about each graduate. They walked across our stage and received a commemorative certificate. The room was filled with smiles, cheers, and joy as the group was celebrated.
So what’s next for our peers? Many go on to join different peer programs in the community or leverage the experience to find employment elsewhere. We are also pleased to announce that one graduating peer received a full scholarship to a community health worker program. It is bittersweet to bid these peers farewell. Though, some of them still access clinical services as clients or they are always welcomed to return and say hello. And, they pass on their torch to the incoming cohort of peers ready to make an impact.
March 25, 2026
Casey House’s first peer graduation ceremony
In late January, Casey House gathered to celebrate the first-ever peer graduation ceremony, celebrating the outgoing cohort for their completion of two years of peer work. The departing fourteen peers collectively provided thousands of hours of client support guided by their lived experience, wisdom, skills, and a lot of heart.
Peers engage with clients to get a deeper understanding of their health status and build social connection. They work across all domains of the building, including outpatient, Blue Door Clinic, inpatient, and external accompaniments. Learn more about the peer program here.
During the ceremony, staff expressed their gratitude to the peers. They acknowledged how peers have built a safer landscape for clients to develop meaningful peer-client support connections and stronger clinical relationships. Many clients have experienced discrimination and trauma from health care institutions, so the warm guidance from peers enables clients to re-engage back with care providers. Similarly, most of our peers have experienced these traumas firsthand. We applaud the peers for their vulnerability and ability to channel their own lived experience towards counseling our clients.
Next, our peer coordinator shared kind words, client feedback, and anecdotes about each graduate. They walked across our stage and received a commemorative certificate. The room was filled with smiles, cheers, and joy as the group was celebrated.
So what’s next for our peers? Many go on to join different peer programs in the community or leverage the experience to find employment elsewhere. We are also pleased to announce that one graduating peer received a full scholarship to a community health worker program. It is bittersweet to bid these peers farewell. Though, some of them still access clinical services as clients or they are always welcomed to return and say hello. And, they pass on their torch to the incoming cohort of peers ready to make an impact.
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