Some of the most meaningful work I’ve done hasn’t happened in a therapy office. It’s happened in community rooms, around tables, in circles — with people who weren’t looking for a therapist, but who needed connection, skills, and someone who believed they had something to offer.
The programs below are built on that belief. They’re designed to be replicated, adapted, and owned by the communities that use them. If something here looks like it could work for your organization, I’d love to talk.
SuPEERstars: A Peer Support Skills Workshop
Most people who’ve been through hard things have an instinct to help others going through the same. SuPEERstars is a 10-week workshop that takes that instinct seriously — building real listening skills, practiced self-disclosure, and the kind of confidence that comes from learning alongside others.
This isn’t therapy training. It’s for people who want to show up better for their communities: neighbors, residents, volunteers, clients-turned-contributors. No clinical background required.
What participants walk away with:
- Active listening and communication skills they can use immediately
- Practice sharing their own story in ways that invite connection rather than advice
- Tools for sustaining themselves while supporting others
- A cohort of people doing the same thing
The curriculum is free to download and use. If you want support facilitating it, adapting it for your population, or training your staff to run it — reach out.
Download the SuPEERstars Workbook here.
The Listening Program: A Person-Centered Drop-In Support Model
Originally developed for a neighborhood nonprofit, The Listening Program is a replicable framework for person-centered drop-in peer support — the kind that doesn’t require professional staff, doesn’t medicalize the people it serves, and actually builds community rather than just managing it.
The handbook covers everything from how to set up the space to how to train volunteers to how to handle the hard moments. It’s designed so that an organization with modest resources can pick it up and run with it.
Download the Listening Program handbook here.
Cooking with Confidence
Developed through community-led “Teach Us Your Recipe” workshops, Cooking with Confidence is a culturally diverse cookbook that integrates experiential activities — not just recipes, but invitations to explore, share, and connect over food. Originally created with and for folks at Central City Concern, it’s designed to live in community spaces, not on coffee tables.
Download the cookbook here.
Want to bring something like this to your organization?
I’ve built wellness programming, peer support curricula, and internship infrastructure at organizations across Portland. I’m available to consult, co-design, train, or — if the fit is right — come on board in a more sustained way.
The best things I’ve made have been built with communities, not handed to them. If that’s the kind of work your organization is trying to do, let’s talk.
Moira Ryan, LPC 