Join Our Lived Experience Council

The purpose of the Lived Experience Advisory Council is to ensure that hope, healing, and human connection guide everything we build, grounding crisis and recovery services in real experience, compassion, and accountability.

By elevating the wisdom of those who have been there, we walk alongside those who are there now—transforming moments of crisis into pathways for recovery, dignity, and belonging.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Gandhi

Priority Areas of Expertise

Our advisory council members provide an invaluable perspective and contribute to service delivery design, program and policy development, and our community education/outreach strategy.

    • Personal experience with suicidal crisis, mental health challenges, substance use, or co-occurring conditions

    • Experience navigating crisis systems (988, emergency departments, mobile crisis, inpatient or residential care)

    • Insight into what supports safety, dignity, and hope during moments of crisis and transition

    • Family members or loved ones impacted by suicide, overdose, or serious mental illness

    • Caregivers supporting individuals at risk or in recovery

    • Experience navigating grief, advocacy, and system barriers on behalf of loved ones

    • Certified or informal peer supporters with frontline experience

    • Leaders grounded in recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSC)

    • Experience offering hope, mutuality, and non-clinical support in crisis and recovery settings

    • Lived experience within historically marginalized or underserved communities

    • Cultural, linguistic, or community-specific perspectives that shape access and trust

    • Understanding of stigma, inequity, and systemic barriers in crisis care

    • Firsthand experience moving between crisis, stabilization, and community-based recovery supports

    • Insight into gaps in follow-up, warm handoffs, and continuity of care

    • Experience with housing instability, justice involvement, or social drivers of health

    • Ability to translate lived experience into constructive feedback and shared learning

    • Comfort contributing to program design, policy discussion, or public education

    • Experience advocating for system change grounded in personal narrative

    • Experience as a helper, responder, or peer navigating burnout, secondary trauma, or moral injury

    • Insight into what supports resilience, belonging, and retention in crisis work

    • Commitment to shaping humane, supportive workforce practices

Lived Experience Advisory Council Member - Role Description

Volunteer Advisory Role

About Possible Always

Possible Always is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to building circles of belonging where those who have been there walk alongside those who are there now. As a statewide 988 backup center and peer-led recovery organization, we exist to ensure that every person knows they are not alone—and that a path forward is possible, always. Our work is rooted in lived experience, compassion, and the belief that healing happens through connection, dignity, and community.

Role Summary

Members of the Lived Experience Advisory Council serve as trusted advisors, bringing lived expertise to help shape crisis and recovery services that are humane, responsive, and effective. LEAC members do not hold fiduciary or governance responsibility; instead, they influence design, policy, and practice by sharing insight rooted in real experience. This role is an opportunity to turn lived experience into leadership—and connection into change.

Key Responsibilities

Advisory & Insight

  • Share lived experience to inform service design, policies, and practices

  • Provide feedback on programs, materials, and community engagement strategies

  • Help identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities in the crisis-to-recovery continuum

Community Voice & Partnership

  • Help Possible Always remain grounded in community needs and realities

  • Support outreach, education, or storytelling efforts

  • Strengthen trust between Possible Always and the communities it serves

Collaboration & Participation

  • Attend and participate in LEAC meetings

  • Engage with fellow members, team members, and leadership

  • Uphold confidentiality, boundaries, and trauma-informed participation norms

Desired Experience & Qualities

We welcome individuals with lived experience in areas such as:

  • Mental health challenges, substance use recovery, or suicidal crisis

  • Supporting or caring for loved ones at risk

  • Navigating crisis systems (988, emergency care, inpatient, community services)

  • Peer support, advocacy, or community leadership

  • Lived experience within marginalized or underserved communities

Above all, we value authenticity, empathy, mutual respect, and a commitment to hope and belonging.

Time Commitment

Approximately 3-6 hours per month through:

  • Quarterly or bi-monthly LEAC meetings

  • Optional participation in special projects, focus groups, or outreach efforts

Interested in Learning More?

Click here to read the full Possible Always Advisory Council Charter.

You Belong Here

Welcome.

Thank you for your interest in the Possible Always Lived Experience Advisory Council. We are building a community where lived experience shapes how crisis and recovery services are designed, delivered, and improved.

Please complete this brief form to help us understand your interest, perspective, and alignment with our mission. We will review your submission and respond within 48 hours.