peer recovery, support and solutions, alternative health options, and genealogy research SAMHSA’s 10 Guiding Principles of Recovery
1. Hope 6. Culture
3.
January 19, 2013
Certified Peer Support Specialists across the nation instill hope in others by serving as a role model using their particular expertise, which include his/her life experiences in recovery. In 2007, Peer Support Services became an evidence-based practice by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services. In 2012, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) developed the working definition of RECOVERY from mental disorders and/or substance use disorders, where individuals strive to reach their full potential in health, home, purpose, and community. Relational
2. Person-Driven 7. Many Pathways 8. Addresses Trauma
4. Holistic 9. Strengths/Responsibility
5. Peer Support 10. Respect
Presently there are 154 Hawaii Certified Peer Specialists (HCPS), certified by the State’s Adult Mental Health Division (AMHD) on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, the Big Island and the Mainland. Former AMHD Chief Thomas Hester, M.D. and the Appalachian Consultants brought Georgia's Certified Peer Specialist Project to Hawaii in 2003. The former Mental Health Services Research Evaluation and Training (MHSRET) with the University of Hawaii under A. Michael Wylie, PhD. assisted the program and developed the HCPS website and organized an Advisory Committee. In 2006, the Veterans Administration of the Pacific had their first class of HCPS, but continued trainings with DBSA. With the newest Trauma Informed Care Grant, the latest HCPS class members were trained in Trauma Informed Care and Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) trainings. They were also placed in internship positions with various providers. With the upcoming changes in the President Obama’s insurance reform, Hawaii’s Department of Human Services is making HCPS positions to be Medicaid-reimbursable. A bill to support the Certified Peer Specialists program will be in this year’s legislative mental health package. With Hawaii’s Health Connector, there will be great opportunities for HCPS, as Advocators and Peer Navigators by January 2014. Besides www.amhd.org/Consumer/HCPS.asp
For more information, check out: www.samhsa.gov/recovery/www.pillarsofpeersupport.org
Any questions contact: Ellen K. Awai, MSCJA, BBA, CPRP, HCPS, former State Coordinator Awai76@aol.com
10/29/2025
Imagine a country where children are taught empathy like it’s math or science.
In Denmark, kids aged six to sixteen take a weekly class dedicated entirely to understanding others. It’s called Klassens tid — “the class’s hour.”
There are no exams, no grades, no rush. Just an hour to talk. To listen. To learn how to care. Students bring up real problems — friendship issues, loneliness, bullying.
Together, they discuss. They find solutions. They bake cakes, they share thoughts, they build trust.
It’s part of their national curriculum, not an extra. Because Danes believe empathy isn’t just a feeling — it’s a skill. One that keeps a society together. And maybe that’s why Denmark consistently ranks among the world’s happiest countries.
Not because life there is perfect, but because people are taught how to understand one another.
Maybe the world doesn’t need more competition.
Maybe it just needs more Klassens tid.
10/28/2025
Amen 💚💚
❤️
10/13/2025
10/08/2025
09/07/2025
06/20/2025
06/12/2025
06/03/2025
✍️ ‘What am I in the eyes of most people? A nonentity or an oddity or a disagreeable person – someone who has and will have no position in society, in short a little lower than the lowest.
Very well – assuming that everything is indeed like that, then through my work I’d like to show what there is in the heart of such an oddity, such a nobody.
Even though I’m often in a mess, inside me there’s still a calm, pure harmony and music. In the poorest little house, in the filthiest corner, I see paintings or drawings. And my mind turns in that direction as if with an irresistible urge’. Written to his brother Theo (1882).
Download this free guide for tips on defusing difficult situations.
01/31/2025
By Nallely Willis, PMMHC
01/31/2025
We’re Hiring: Van Driver!
Be a part of something bigger! Join the dedicated team at Waiʻanae’s transportation team, where we provide essential transportation services to our community. We’re seeking a Van Driver who is passionate about safety, patient care and making a difference.
• Help support patient with transportation needs.
• Join a mission-driven organization rooted in care and compassion.
• Play a key role in enhancing the health and well-being of our community.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Peer Recovery Solutions posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Aloha, This page began in 2013. As you know, many things have changed since then. I’m Cynthia Wicks, was certified as a peer specialist in Hawaii in 2007 and 2013.
Update: 2020. life is pretty chaotic and we have to adapt to stress in different ways. Life on life’s terms. I’m 14 years sober now (yay) ! I hope that you are all surviving as we do, regardless. Remember to be creative and innovative and show the ordinary folk how it’s done.
Aloha, Cynthia
I live in Arizona now, and continue my recovery, with 12 years sober and as a family caretaker with a lot of service work still to do. I’m changing the name of this page, so that the Office of Consumer Affairs, in Honolulu, HI may begin a new one. Peace be with us all in our journey towards health and happiness. Work, work, work....
January 19, 2013
Certified Peer Support Specialists across the nation instill hope in others by serving as a role model using their particular expertise, which include his/her life experiences in recovery.
In 2007, Peer Support Services became an evidence-based practice by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
In 2012, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) developed the working definition of RECOVERY from mental disorders and/or substance use disorders, where individuals strive to reach their full potential in health, home, purpose, and community.
SAMHSA’s 10 Guiding Principles of Recovery
1. Hope 6. Relational
2. Person-Driven 7. Culture
3. Many Pathways 8. Addresses Trauma
4. Holistic 9. Strengths/Responsibility
5. Peer Support 10. Respect
Presently there are 154 Hawaii Certified Peer Specialists (HCPS), certified by the State’s Adult Mental Health Division (AMHD) on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, the Big Island and the Mainland. Former AMHD Chief Thomas Hester, M.D. and the Appalachian Consultants brought Georgia's Certified Peer Specialist Project to Hawaii in 2003. The former Mental Health Services Research Evaluation and Training (MHSRET) with the University of Hawaii under A. Michael Wylie, PhD. assisted the program and developed the HCPS website and organized an Advisory Committee.
In 2006, the Veterans Administration of the Pacific had their first class of HCPS, but continued trainings with DBSA. With the newest Trauma Informed Care Grant, the latest HCPS class members were trained in Trauma Informed Care and Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) trainings. They were also placed in internship positions with various providers.
With the upcoming changes in the President Obama’s insurance reform, Hawaii’s Department of Human Services is making HCPS positions to be Medicaid-reimbursable. A bill to support the Certified Peer Specialists program will be in this year’s legislative mental health package. With Hawaii’s Health Connector, there will be great opportunities for Peer Specialists/ Navigators/ peer Support Specialists - as Advocators and Peer Navigators by January 2014.
For more information, check out: www.samhsa.gov/recovery/www.pillarsofpeersupport.org
