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10th Anniversary
Utah Peer Conference
June 22-23, 2026
Registration is
Now Open!
ABOUT
"Peer support is a part of the human experience. Being able to share experiences, help heal, guide, and warn one another is what bonds us as families, friends, and communities. There is a long history of peer support that we need to strengthen and cement here at this conference and throughout the coming year. Peers have continued to exercise their voice in their own treatment and recovery process. Today, peers are an essential partner in supporting recovery through mutual support, education, and advocacy across the nation, in the fields of mental health and substance use disorders."
Sponsored by the Utah Peer Network
By: Richard K Winter
As a teenager, she was caught in addiction and trafficked by men who saw her vulnerability and used it. Her world was survival. Chaos. Fear. The kind of life that narrows your vision until tomorrow feels impossible.
And yet, somehow, she survived.
Years later, sitting in a Utah prison cell, something shifted. A correctional officer. A victim advocate. A few people who looked at her not as a case number, not as a criminal, but as a woman with possibility.
“They saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself.”
That belief became a seed. For nearly two decades, Gina built a life that many would call extraordinary. She became a Certified Peer Support Specialist. She worked for Volunteers of America. She served as a Domestic Trafficking Case Manager for the Asian Association of Utah. She advised city leadership. She did mobile outreach with crisis response teams. She ran housing grants. She stood in rooms of power and told the truth about survival.
Meet the Peers Behind the Movement
By: Richard K Winter
For most of her life, Dori Hatch didn't believe she was strong.
She spent years doubting herself, second-guessing her decisions, and looking to others for direction. Long before addiction entered the picture, she had learned to put other people's needs, opinions, and expectations ahead of her own.
Then life handed her a grief she wasn't prepared to carry.
When Dori was 27 years old, her father died from pancreatic cancer. The loss shattered something inside her.
She had experimented with alcohol and drugs as a teenager and young adult, but nothing had truly taken hold. Then, while she was grieving one of the most painful losses of her life, crystal meth entered the picture.
Looking back now, she can point to that moment as the beginning of a journey that would consume the next twenty-one years of her life.
"That was the beginning of a 21-year addiction," she says. What followed was a rapid descent. Within months, her drug use escalated dramatically. The life she had known began slipping away piece by piece. One of the hardest losses was her children. Dori loved them deeply, but...
By: Richard K Winter
Ricardo Winter, Learning That I Am Worth It
When Ricardo Winter walked through the doors of treatment on April 9, 2026, he wasn't looking for hope.
In fact, he was pretty sure there wasn't any left.
This was his third time in treatment. He arrived angry, exhausted, disconnected from God, disconnected from people, and disconnected from himself. He believed he already knew what treatment had to offer. He doubted anyone would understand him. More than anything, he felt like another number moving through a system he no longer trusted.
He wasn't expecting his life to change.
But healing often begins quietly.
A few days into his stay at Journey Treatment Center, Ricardo was walking through the backyard when he noticed a pair of turtle doves.
For most people, it might have been an ordinary moment.
Keynote Speaker 2026
Jason Coombs
Jason Coombs is a recovery advocate, author, and speaker who helps families and individuals navigate the complex challenges of addiction and mental health. With a Master’s in Professional Communications and lived experience in recovery, he brings a blend of empathy, insight, and practical tools to his work. The high-quality, behavioral-health professionals employed at Brick House have received the: Jason is the founder of Brick House Recovery, a faith-based outpatient treatment program recognized with national and regional awards for excellence in care. He’s the author of a national bestseller, Unhooked: How to Help an Addicted Loved One Recover and host of the Get Unhooked podcast. He currently serves on multiple committees and as Southwest Regional Director for the Idaho Association of Addiction Professionals. Outside of work, Jason enjoys skiing, triathlons, and traveling with his family.
We are very excited to welcome Jason as our 2026 keynote speaker! For more information about Jason, please visit his website: https://www.brickhouserecovery.com/
2026 UTAH PEER CONFERENCE AGENDA
Monday, June 22, 2026
8:00 am - 9:00 am - Registration and Check-in
9:00 am - 9:15 am - Welcome
9:15 am - 10:45 am - Keynote Speaker
10:45 am - 11:00 am - Break
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Session 1
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Supporting Individuals Impacted by Trauma - Rodrigo Coloma and Carolyn Jaramillo (Spanish)
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Interdisciplinary Team - Karla Arroyo
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Home Visiting and Peer Support - Kimberly Lopez Moreno
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WRAP Through a Peer Support Lens - Brian Nielson
12:00 pm -1:00 pm - Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Session 2
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Inspiring HOPE through Supervision - Becca Brown, Natanael Choi, Heather Rydalch, Alicia Wilcox
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Interdisciplinary Team - Karla Arroyo (Spanish)
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The Stories that Shaped Us - Kyle Palmer
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SafeUT - Diana Ballesteros
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm - Break
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm - Session 3
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Poetry for Resilience & Self Care - Margaret Bryden
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Gunnison County School - Alfonso Morales (Spanish)
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Expanding the Ceiling: How Peer Supports Can Think Beyond the Job Description - Jason Coombs
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Beyond Certification: What Peer Supporters Need Next to Thrive? - Mindy Lathen
3:30pm - 3:45pm - Break
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm - Final Remarks
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
8:00 am - 9:00 am - Registration and Check-in
9:00 am - 9:15 am - Welcome
9:15 am - 9:45 am - Award Ceremony
9:45 am - 10:00 am - Break
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Session 1
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First-Aid for Victims of Crime - Emilio Mijares (Spanish)
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Addressing Domestic Violence in Peer Support - Darlene Morton
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Culturally Responsive Peer Support in Trauma and Justice Involvement - Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou
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Expanding Your Career Opportunities - Tina Wood and Lynda Liston
11:00 am - 11:15 am - Break
11:15 am - 12:15 pm - Session 2
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Home Visiting and Peer Support - Kimberly Lopez Moreno (Spanish)
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Inspiring HOPE through Supervision Part 2 - Becca Brown, Natanael Choi, Heather Rydalch, Alicia Wilcox
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Using Creative Expression to Support Mental Health and Recovery - Brian Higgins
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The Architecture of Change: Formalizing the Utah Department of Corrections CPSS Program: From Pilot to Sustainable System Infrastructure - Lena Gustafson
12:15 pm -1:15 pm - Lunch
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm - Session 3
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SafeUT (Spanish) - Diana Ballesteros
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When Love Becomes Enabling: Helping Families Find the Line - Jason Coombs
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Peer Support in the Utah Department of Corrections: Panel and Discussion - Christopher Austin, Jonathan Hunt, and Fonua Kimoana
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Peer Support is Peer Support - Amy Campbell and Miriam Gutierrez
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm - Break
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm - Final Remarks and CEUs
Presenters
We are honored to introduce an extraordinary group of presenters who bring a powerful combination of lived experience, deep knowledge, and unwavering dedication to supporting others on their recovery journeys. These individuals are peer support specialists—people who have walked the path of mental health and/or substance use recovery and now use their experiences to inspire hope, share resources, and foster meaningful connection.
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