Business Details
33 Years
experience
Empowering Peer Support Across Ontario
PeerWorks is a not-for-profit membership-based organization dedicated to strengthening peer support systems across Ontario. Founded in 1993, we provide specialized training, advocacy, and resource-sharing initiatives to empower Peer Support Organizations and Consumer/Survivor Initiatives. Our work is rooted in principles of recovery, hope, and self-determination, emphasizing the value of lived experience in mental health advocacy. We offer the Peer Support Core Essentials Program, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities to build sector capacity.Our strategic partnerships and provincial outreach amplify voices of lived experience in policy development. With over 50 member organizations, we drive systemic change through equity-focused practices and community-led solutions. Our team combines decades of sector expertise with certified training methodologies to ensure high-impact peer support delivery. We maintain transparency through annual reports and collaborative research initiatives to advance evidence-based practices in peer support.
Services
Peer Support Training
Policy Advocacy
Resource Sharing
Professional Development
Network Building
Details
- Year established: 1993
Highlights and features
- 20+ year track record in peer support training excellence
- Specialized curriculum developed by lived experience experts
- Provincial policy advocacy shaping mental health systems
- Network of 50+ community-based member organizations
- Certified trainers with clinical and lived experience expertise
Associations and certifications
- Peer Support Canada
What people say
Lifesaving support networks
Transformative training programs
Effective policy advocacy
Empowering community spaces
Services
Peer Support Training
Our Peer Support Core Essentials Program delivers 17-module certification training through interactive webinars and practical exercises. Participants gain skills in crisis response, cultural humility, and trauma-informed practices. The curriculum emphasizes boundary management and recovery-oriented support frameworks.
Policy Advocacy
We drive mental health policy changes through evidence-based advocacy, focusing on lived experience integration in healthcare systems. Our initiatives include annual reports, government consultations, and sector-wide reform strategies to enhance peer support recognition.
Resource Sharing
Facilitate collaborative networks for 50+ member organizations through webinars, conferences, and digital resource libraries. Our platform enables best practice exchange and joint research initiatives to strengthen community-based mental health services.
Professional Development
Offer leadership training and capacity-building workshops for peer supporters. Programs focus on anti-oppression frameworks, self-care strategies, and professional ethics to enhance service delivery standards across Ontario.
Network Building
Create provincial partnerships between peer support organizations, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Our networking initiatives foster collaboration through events, joint projects, and cross-sector knowledge mobilization activities.
People
Allyson Theodorou
Executive Director
With over 30 years in peer support, Allyson leads Ontario's foremost mental health advocacy organization. Certified by Peer Support Canada, she develops training programs and drives provincial policy reforms while managing strategic partnerships.
Zebina Virji
Administrative Coordinator
A certified peer supporter with 8+ years' experience, Zebina champions lived experience integration. As former Family Peer Supporter and Wrap Hub Coordinator, she ensures operational processes align with peer support principles.
Mina Zahine
Communications and Outreach Lead
Mina directs strategic communications with expertise in digital advocacy. Her background includes UN agency collaborations and human rights summit coordination, enhancing PeerWorks' public engagement and sector visibility.
Questions
What is a Consumer/Survivor Initiative (CSI)?
CSIs are community-based mental health organizations run by and for people with lived experience, providing peer support and advocacy services.
How does PeerWorks support mental health systems?
We train peer supporters, advocate for policy changes, and connect organizations to strengthen Ontario's mental health infrastructure through lived experience leadership.
What training programs do you offer?
Our certified Core Essentials Program includes 17 modules on peer support fundamentals, crisis response, and recovery frameworks through interactive online sessions.
How can organizations join your network?
Contact us to connect with 50+ member groups through collaborative partnerships, resource sharing, and joint advocacy initiatives.
What advocacy work do you prioritize?
We focus on policy reforms that integrate peer support into healthcare standards and increase funding for community-based mental health services.
