Peer Services

Safe, confidential peer support for veterans & first responders by veterans & first responders

What are Peer Services?

Gatherings, Direct Peer Support, and a 24/7 Talk Line provide peer-to-peer connection & support to help veterans & first responders improve their mental health & overall well-being.

  • Gatherings

    Led by a Peer Leader from Guardian Revival, these group sessions are an open forum and offer an opportunity to listen, learn, or share what's on your mind.

    Through in-person and Zoom meetings, we offer separate Gatherings for veterans, first responders, and women guardians.

  • Direct Peer Support

    Speak confidentially with a trained Peer Leader who shares similar experiences & background as you. There’s no diagnosis or commitment required.

    Through your 1:1 conversations, they provide emotional, social, and practical support — from one guardian to another.

  • 24/7 Talk Line

    Our 24/7 phone line provides peer support & mental health resources, operated by guardians, for guardians.

    This is not a crisis line — just a confidential, open opportunity to reach out for connection & support, anytime.

    845.745.0088

Upcoming 

Gatherings

Connect with fellow veterans & first responders over shared experiences and similarities.

Gatherings

Peer support — by guardians, for guardians, with guardians

Our Gatherings allow guardians to connect over shared experiences and similarities in a safe space. We encourage you to continue building your network of peer guardians. 

  • Vet2Vet (for veterans and active duty military)

  • First Line (Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS)

  • Women Guardians (for women across service branches)

Who provides

the Peer Services?

Our Peer Leaders are fellow guardians — Veterans, Active Military, Reserve, National Guard, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, EMS, Dispatchers, Corrections, and Federal Agents — who are certified & trained to provide peer support services to other guardians.

In addition to their backgrounds, they also have strong leadership & communication skills, emotional intelligence & maturity, mental & physical fitness, and the administrative & logistical capacity to ensure they can successfully support their peers.

Degrees of Peership

  • 4th Degree

    Any guardian to another guardian

  • 3rd Degree

    Veteran to veteran

    First responder to first responder

  • 2nd Degree

    Service / community specific

  • 1st Degree

    Same demographic, special circumstance, and/or inherent identity

As Guardian Revival serves a diverse population of guardians from various communities, it is crucial to clarify how we define peers within our network. Guardians may (or may not) be considered a peer to another through a variety of different dimensions. 

To further refine the concept of peer relationships at Guardian Revival, we have established a standardized system of "degrees" of peership, employing logical criteria that allow us to efficiently allocate resources (Peer Leaders).

The degree of peership relies on the extent to which an individual's abilities, qualifications, age, background, or social status align with those of others.

  • Any guardian to guardian

    Example: Law enforcement officer to a Navy veteran

  • Veteran to veteran, or first responder to first responder

    Example: Army veteran to Air Force veteran. Law enforcement officer to EMS.

  • Same service or specific community

    Example: Army veteran to Army veteran. Firefighter to firefighter.

  • Same demographic, special circumstance, and/or inherent identity

    Example: Female veteran to female veteran. Army veteran combat medic to Army veteran combat medic.

Meet the Peer Services Team

  • Chris Kielczewski

    DIRECTOR OF PEER SERVICES DIVISION
    Fire & Law Enforcement

  • Ashley Rogers

    OPERATIONS MANAGER & PEER LEADER
    Military

  • David Wagman

    PEER TEAM CHIEF
    Law Enforcement

  • Craig Horsfield

    VOLUNTEER PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST
    Military & Law Enforcement

  • ED HEEGAN

    PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
    Fire & American Guardian Podcast Host

  • Kenny Constantinides

    PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS & HAWAII REGIONAL DIRECTOR
    Military & Fire

  • Pastor Andrew Columbia

    PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
    Law Enforcement

  • ANNMARIE SPICIARICH

    PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
    Law Enforcement

Help our guardians

Connect with peers

Make a donation today to support our events & offerings for military, veterans, and first responders to connect with their peers & receive support.

Everything we offer is provided free of charge to our guardians so your contribution truly makes a difference!

Follow Along

Get on our list to learn more about what we offer you & receive updates about Guardian Revival programs, upcoming events, and announcements.

Access Peer Services

What is Peer Support?

Peer support is a particularly valuable & effective approach for improving lives.

The vast and intricate landscape of mental health resources, organizations, and support systems is often overwhelming and confusing. Trained peer leaders can provide guidance & mentorship to help an individual identify the resources & support they need to improve & maintain their mental health & well-being, whether that is financial & legal support, family support, housing, or clinical services.

Peer support also helps combat the feelings of isolation & loneliness. Peer support provides connectedness & belonging, leveraging guardians’ similarities and shared experiences to quickly build the foundation for a healthy therapeutic relationship.

Within our Peer Support Division, peer support is emotional, social, and practical support from one guardian to another — by, with, and through shared experiences and other commonalities to help improve mental health & well-being:

  • Increasing sense of connectedness

  • Decreased sense of loneliness

  • Growth in social network

Direct Peer Support

Speak confidentially, one-on-one with a trained Peer Leader.

The process starts when you submit an inquiry, and then we follow up to schedule a call to discuss your needs, goals, and expectations.

If you move forward, we’ll pair you with a trained & certified Peer Leader who has a high degree of shared experiences with you and is representative of the guardian community you come from.

You and your Peer Leader will connect (virtually or in-person) to provide support, guidance, and resources.

Guardian Talk Line

24/7 phone line providing peer support & mental health resources, operated by guardians for guardians.

Call us: 845.745.0088

Our team is trained to provide you with the best possible peer support, and we have an extensive network of partners & resources.

Please do not hesitate to reach out — you are worth it, and there is support ready & willing to help.

Crisis Lines

These phone numbers are external, national resources available to help in a moment of crisis:

National Lifeline

For ANYONE in crisis and in need of immediate assistance, just call 988

Veterans

Call 988, then press 1

Law Enforcement

Call 1-800-267-5463

First Responders

Call 206-459-3020

Dwyer Vet2Vet

Our peer support services are funded in part by the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Vet2Vet program initiative directed by New York State and the Putnam County Veterans Service Agency.

The Dwyer initiative was created to afford veterans access and opportunities for peer support. Joseph P. Dwyer was an Army veteran who suffered from severe PTSD and died from an overdose on June 28th, 2008.