Peer Respite Essential Features Survey
Every two years between 2010 and 2020, Live & Learn staff and partners conducted the Peer Respites Essential Features (PREF) survey. All peer respites in the U.S. were invited to participate in each wave.
Risk Factors Associated With Child Protective Services Involvement Among Parents With a Serious Mental Illness
Study found parents with serious mental illness and child protective services contact were more likely to be nonwhite, less educated, and have experienced trauma.
Reclaiming Employment promotional spot
Promotional spot for Reclaiming Employment, an online platform providing self-employment resources for people with mental health challenges.
California CIBHS Peer Respite Programs Roundtable
A 2014 panel discussion on peer respites at the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions.
Promoting College Access and Success For Students With Disabilities
A 2014 Senate Committee hearing on access to higher education for U.S. students with disabilities.
Guidebook for Peer Support Program Self-Evaluation: Practical Steps and Tools
The Guidebook for Peer Support Program Self-Evaluation provides practical guidance for peer support programs to conduct low-cost self-evaluations, including developing a logic model and collecting data.
Reclaiming Employment: Preliminary Results from the Pilot Study
Report includes data from a six-month pilot study of Reclaiming Employment, measuring outcomes for users seeking self-employment support.
HOPE Program Self-Evaluation Report
Evaluation of the HOPE program, a peer-run initiative in California supporting participants transitioning from hospitalization to community integration.
Elevate, Evaluate: A Learning Platform for Program Self-Evaluation
Report details survey and interview findings from CBOs across 21 states on their needs and experiences with program evaluation.
Mental Health Advocacy in California: Perspectives of Advocates and Decision-Makers
Survey on the impact of stakeholder advocacy (with CAMHPRO) on decisions affecting public mental health systems in California.
Beyond Awareness: Mental Illness and the Ableism of Capitalism | Truthout
Article argues that confronting ableism requires confronting capitalism, which values people based on their production efficiency.
New Program That Places Lived Experiences and Peer Mentoring at Its Center
A Job Accommodation Network article discusses self-employment viability for people with mental health conditions, highlighting research and the Reclaiming Employment peer support program.
Peer Respites Provide an Alternative to Psychiatric Wards During Pandemic | LA Times
This article discusses the expansion of the peer respite approach, noting that Live & Learn counts 33 peer respites in the U.S., up from 19 six years prior.
How we’re missing the real story on mental health in Massachusetts | Boston Globe
The article argues that Massachusetts mental health policy overly focuses on hospital capacity, missing the critical need for community-based services and peer-run recovery supports.
On the future of mental health | Psychology Today
The Psychology Today interview with Laysha Ostrow, conducted for a series on the future of mental health, discussed her work synthesizing lived experience and professional expertise to promote systemic social change.
What Happens When you Stop Taking Psychiatric Medication | Pacific Standard Magazine
This article stresses the need to mainstream conversations about psychiatric medication discontinuation so that doctors can better support individuals' choices in the process.
Students With Disabilities Aim For A College Degree, But Often Get Stuck | Huffington Post
As reported in HuffPost, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) convened a hearing on this topic, framed around the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Peer Respites: A National Perspective
A 2016 presentation to the Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force detailing the benefits and structure of peer-run respites.
Striving and Thriving Among Certified Peer Specialists
Presentation at SAMHSA by Laysha Ostrow on the CPS Career Outcomes Study, covering wages, financial wellbeing, burnout, and policy suggestions.