Veteran Peer Specialist, Virginia Veteran and Family Support

At Crossroads Community Services Board, a Veteran Peer Specialist, from Virginia Veteran and Family Support, is a person with a behavioral health or co-occurring condition, actively engaged in his or her own recovery, who has been trained and certified to help others with these conditions, identify and achieve specific life and recovery goals.

Peer Specialists serve as role models by sharing their personal recovery stories, showing that recovery from behavioral health conditions is possible. Specialists teach goal setting, problem solving, symptom management skills and a variety of recovery tools. They empower  veterans by helping them identify their strengths, supports, resources and skills. Specialists offer advocacy by working to eliminate the stigma of mental illness and  act as community liaisons by identifying social supports in the community and encouraging the expansion of local community resources.

Emergency crisis intervention services are available 24 hours per day, every day by calling (800) 548-1688.

More information on Virginia Veteran and Family Support is available on their website. Additional information is also available by calling (877) 285-1299 extenstion 4.