The Value of Mentors, Alumni, Certified Peers, and Veteran Mentors Supporting the Treatment Court Program
January 22, 2025 | 12:30 PM–2:00 PM EST
Presenter: Carlos Gonzales, CPSW, BA, LADAC
This session will discuss and define the role of mentors, Alumni, Certified Peers, and Veteran Mentors in treatment court programs and the value of this relationship, highlighting the power of these roles in enhancing the effectiveness of the program through trust and support. This session will include a discussion on the established position and process in New Mexico and the efficacy of Alumni Peer Support in conjunction with Veteran Mentors. The overall purpose is to ensure state coordinators and grantees know the roles and responsibilities of these individuals on teams.
Learning Objectives:
- Define the roles of Mentors, Alumni, Certified Peers, Veteran Mentors
- Embrace the differences and similarities
- Interaction and engagement opportunities and value in the treatment court and the judicial process
- Confidentiality, mandated reporter, licensure requirements
- Cultural awareness and competence
- Value of trust in this relationship to trust the program and process
- Supervision dynamics, policies, and procedures that incorporate process and incident protocol
- New Mexico process to build and sustain alumni support
Carlos F. Gonzales, Statewide Program Manager (NM) CPSW, BA, LADAC, is a 2001 graduate of the First District Judicial District Adult Drug Court in Santa Fe, NM. His career is with the Judicial Branch of New Mexico as a Statewide Program Manager for the Administrative Office of the Courts, Department for Therapeutic Justice. He manages alumni and peer initiatives for all state treatment court programs, as well as Medicaid leveraging for treatment providers serving treatment court programs. He is a Certified Peer Support Worker and Licensed ADA Counselor serving treatment court programs for the past 14 years, Chair of the National Treatment Court Alumni Association, and an All Rise faculty trainer. Since graduating from the First Judicial District Drug Court Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Carlos has served as a Mentor, Peer Support volunteer, and Alumni leader for 23 years. As a licensed counselor for the past 14 years, he serves the court treatment programs exclusively. As an All Rise faculty trainer, he develops and delivers training and support to programs around the nation on how to develop, sustain, and empower alumni groups to support the programs they graduated from.