Full disclosure: I’ve never been completely satisfied with the term peer support.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the term, especially it’s history.  I love that peer support started in mental health and addiction recovery circles and continues with fire, EMS, law enforcement, etc.  But, the term never really seemed to fully encompass our mission.

When we formed Crisis Support Solutions (CSS) in 2011, it was a natural fit to continue the work in peer support since that was where I started (as the Peer Support Program Coordinator at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)).  I fell in love with teaching after standing up our 40-hour Basic Peer Support and Crisis Intervention Training Program (BPSCITP).  So, it was a natural fit to continue basic peer and crisis training through CSS.

However, over the years, Joey and I have been on quite a spiritual journey. Even though we have walked separate paths, we recently realized that we share a similar excitement around the concept of healing and spirituality.

As such, we are starting the development of a new type of training designed to enrich the spirituality of the student as well as the person they will be helping to heal.

Throughout our years of counseling individuals, families, and groups, we have come to realize that every problem has a spiritual component at its core (that is, a violation disrupting one’s faith, trust and sense of power and control). As such, every solution (at its core) must include a spiritual component.

We believe that only through spiritual engagement can we experience the type of healing that leads to fulfillment and freedom.

As James Finley explains it:  “[We] realize that the root of suffering is estrangement from spiritual experience…[therefore] the root of happiness is in spiritual experience.”

As such, we are creating and developing a new path that focuses on helping people heal from harm in the form of mental, emotional, and spiritual support (M.E.S.S.).

So, here we are introducing M.E.S.S – Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Support.  Our commitment with this new adventure is to explore healing – not just from a clinical, mental health perspective, but from a spiritual, soulful place where words fall short and presence is key.

If you are interested in taking this journey with us – send us an email at info@crisissupportsolutions.com and introduce yourself.  We’ll keep you updated on trainings, resources and other ideas for professional and personal growth.

We look forward to connecting with you and sharing this journey together.  In the meantime, a blessing for us all:

May the God of peace make you whole and holy, may you be kept safe in body, heart, and mind…God has called you and will not fail you.

– 1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24