Interview with Amie Sica

How did you find your way to the peer specialist field? Can you walk us through what that journey was like for you?

I was already working in the mental health and substance use field in more of a generalist role. While I loved my job, I knew there had to be more. The program that I was working in, we had this certain level of control over people and something about that didn’t sit right with me. So, I took some time off to sit back and see what was out there – and I came across a role at an organization called Vinfen for a lead peer specialist.

I had no idea what it was when I first went into the interview.  I had done some research but if I am being fully transparent, I wasn’t sure if it was the right fit for me.  Thankfully, the Director of Recovery at the time explained it to me on a deeper more personalized level – it was just like, oh my goodness, this is everything I’ve been looking for.  I realized that in the more traditional roles, I could never share my personal experience. That was frowned upon and often looked at as something that could potentially be a barrier to care as it was thought it could cause a divide between those receiving services and those providing them without lived experience. This was the first place in my professional and personal experience where they were like, “No, we celebrate that and we want to hear about it.” From there my career just took off.

It was so cool to see that lived experience was something that wasn’t just accepted, but it was something that was sought out.

I remember at the beginning of my career, thinking – “Do I even know what I’m doing?” For me, imposter syndrome can be a beast to navigate and something that I think many people experience, especially in the lived experience workforce.  I had to be intentional in reminding myself that my experiences were valid and important in supporting others. This process was so transformative.  I am also here to say that integrating lived experience roles didn’t create barriers.  They do, however, help create more inclusive environments that see the whole person.

Can you speak a little more about what personal experiences you find yourself drawing on most in this work?

I grew up in an environment where discussing personal experiences, challenges and emotions didn’t happen. For me, this led to untreated mental health challenges, suppression and a loneliness that became debilitating. It ultimately set the trajectory for my teen and early adult years. One could argue it continues to set the trajectory for my career to this day. This background has been crucial for me in destigmatizing my own experiences while providing a platform to empower others. For a long time, I minimized my feelings and disqualified my experiences, often thinking that others had it worse or that my struggles didn’t matter—that I wasn’t important. My negative self-talk can be quite intense at times.

Sharing my experiences with others has been instrumental in my healing process. If we don’t talk about what we’re going through, can we truly heal? For me, I found that I couldn’t start to heal until I began opening up and talking to others. I hope that I have been able to create that space for others, as I believe it’s essential to eliminate feelings of shame and stigma, which can be detrimental. Shame and stigma can kill people. There is no gentle way to say that. I now make it my life work to create spaces where people feel safe to open up and create the life they want to live. I try to be for others who I wish I had when I needed someone and didn’t know where to turn or what to say.

Could you take us through your career trajectory at VinFen as a peer specialist and where you see yourself going in this field?

I started at Vinfen as the lead peer specialist in a supervisory position. In full transparency, I can be very outspoken, but I believe I excel at creating partnerships with those around me. As a result, I was fortunate to foster many collaborations, which significantly shaped my professional growth. My time at Vinfen was truly rewarding; the work we did was incredible.

Although we weren’t able to hire an addiction counselor, I provided support to many community-based individuals facing addiction challenges pulling off my personal and professional knowledge. This experience also led to opportunities in public speaking projects. I joined Kiva’s certified peer specialist training team, and the organization truly supported me and offered a variety of opportunities. During this time, I also became involved with the Engage Initiative. My team was always enthusiastic about the opportunities I pursued, which made a tremendous difference in my career development. I honestly thought I would stay there forever.

Then, a position opened up at Riverside Community Care, and a colleague of mine sent me the job opening. Imposter syndrome reared its ugly head, and I didn’t think for a second that I would get the job. I vividly remember sitting in a supervision meeting with my Director of Recovery when I received the call offering me the position. We celebrated together. I am proud to share that I am now the Vice President of Recovery and Peer Services at Riverside Community Care.

So tell us a little more about this current position and how it compares to your time at VinFen?

I am part of the senior leadership team, and my role involves building, promoting and training the lived experience workforce on a larger scale. Although I no longer engage in direct peer work—a role I sometimes miss—I remind myself that I now have the opportunity to make a broader impact.

I help create and implement trainings and programs that support not only team members with lived experience but also all staff. By advocating for our lived experience team members at Riverside and promoting lived experience as a whole, we have witnessed an exciting cultural shift.

It’s not just our peers who are sharing their stories; many individuals working within the mental health system have some form of lived experience. As a result, we are seeing open self-disclosure from team members across various job titles, including executive leadership. Many of them courageously share their personal stories, even though it is not part of their job descriptions.

This collective effort is crucial in reducing the shame and stigma that often prevent others, like my younger self, from seeking support. We actively uphold the belief that mental health is health. Riverside is truly devoted to amplifying and strengthening the lived experience voice and workforce. That is where I come in. I am beyond grateful for what I get to do for work every day and for the incredible partners I have. My younger self would be so proud.

Could you take us through what a peer specialist is and what the training and certification process is like?

Peer specialists are individuals who have personal lived experience with mental health challenges and/or trauma. They support others in a mutual manner as they navigate their own wellness journeys. There is a two-week certification training funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, held through the Kiva Centers. It is an exceptional training, and I wish everyone could take it to help make the world a better place. The primary requirement is that you must have your own personal lived experience.

I remember when I signed up for the training; I initially needed it for work. However, the experience truly helped reshape my understanding of my own experiences. The training involves a lot of learning and unlearning, focusing on how to use our experiences to support others in an empowering, strength-based way. It examines the language we use, the environments around us, and their direct impact on someone’s healing process.

A fundamental focus is honoring a person’s right to self-determination. We cannot force anyone to do anything or dictate their actions; doing so would disempower them. Instead, we provide those we support with hope, storytelling, resources, and connections. Peers partner with others as they explore and identify what they need to create the life they want to live. Ideally, we help connect them to what they have identified. It is a beautiful process, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it.

Do you have a patient story that you wanted to share with people that you thought kind of highlighted what’s so special about peer specialists and what peer specialists are maybe able to do that other kind of people in this field might not be able to do?

Oh man, there are so many aspects to consider. I think an overarching theme that makes peer support so unique is that peers can approach individuals without any agenda—other than providing quality peer support. Instead of going into a meeting with the intention of assessing individuals or trying to guide them to a specific outcome, we aim to meet people exactly where they are. While the phrase “meeting people where they are” is frequently used, it’s not always put into practice. Peer support, at its core, embodies this principle.

I’ve supported many individuals going through intense situations. Although my experiences may differ from theirs, I can sit beside them and say, “Hey, I’ve felt the same way, and here I am on the other side of it now.” I become a walking example of hope, demonstrating that things can get better and that they can get through their struggles. The comfort that comes from opening up to someone who has faced similar challenges can be life-saving. This support often involves conversations about harm reduction and de-stigmatizing mental health experiences.

There have been individuals I worked with who were labeled as “high risk.” I was able to go back to my team and help them better understand how systems can sometimes put people in boxes with labels based on their perceived risks. This is where peers can be truly transformative: we don’t adhere to these labels and judgments—we focus on seeing the whole person. I would return to my team and hear them say, “Oh my goodness, I had no idea about that part of this person.” While this admittedly would frustrate me at times, it only motivated me more to continue to do the challenging work of challenging and reshaping those traditional, deficit-based systems into more inclusive, strength-based, recovery-oriented systems. If we aren’t supporting the whole person, we have work to do.

The power of peer support lies in the fact that we have no agenda; our only goal is to support someone with whatever they wish to work on in that moment, on that day. If someone wants to sit in silence for an hour, I’m there to sit with them. If they want to discuss their treatment plan that they are working on with someone else, we can talk about it. Suicidal thoughts, personal relationships, self-injury, housing, you name it. What matters most is what is important to them in that moment. From there, peers can also introduce phenomenal resources such as Living with Suicide or The Hearing Voices Network.

There’s something incredibly powerful about having someone beside you who truly understands what it’s like. It creates a feeling of safety.

What’s something you want people to know about peer specialists?

I often need to remind myself that not everyone knows what a peer specialist is. For some, evidence-based practices hold significant importance, and peer support is indeed one of those practices. Personally, I hope to see peers integrated into all aspects of the medical and mental health fields in the future.

When I first joined the Engage Initiative, it was shortly after I lost my mom to cancer. Being part of this initiative allowed me to connect my own experiences with my mom’s journey through her mental health challenges and cancer diagnosis. During that difficult time, I felt the absence of someone who could walk alongside me. I desperately needed someone to sit with me, to validate my emotions, because that support was crucial and lacking.

This is the power of peer support—it’s an invaluable resource that not enough people are aware of yet, nor is it recognized widely within various systems. Advocating for peers, ensuring pay equity in their roles on a statewide level, and promoting the work we do is vital. There is immense power in our contributions, and it is essential to bring our voices to the table to help others.