Reduce the Stigma
Whitney Menarcheck
Reduce The Stigma is an initiative by Straight Up Care, with a mission of reducing the stigma that surrounds substance use and mental health. Too often, stigma creates barriers and restricts access to services. Our hope is that by spreading the stories of individuals with lived/living experience with substance use and/or mental health we can break down barriers and build bridges. Reduce The Stigma has two series: Meet the Peer and Recovery Conversations, both hosted by Whitney Menarcheck.Meet the Peer is a spcial series where we shine the spotlight on peer specialists. Peer specialists are individuals with mental health and/or substance use lived experience who have received special training to support others along their recovery journey. Straight Up Care uses the term peer specialists to cover the various titles and certifications that can be held by an individual with lived experience helping others, such as Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS), Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), Cert