Sandy Heine is a parent of a youth who was in a residential program following a serious mental health episode. She was the first peer delivered services staff of Kairos NW, having been hired as a Family Support Specialist in 2009 and becoming the Peer Delivered Services Manager, in which capacity she worked with families of youth in the therapeutic programs and managed 22 Family and Youth Peer Support staff until 2019, providing coaching, supervision, and administrative management for the agencies Peer Delivered Services workforce. Sandy is currently a consultant for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), working with residential programs on organizational transformation with a focus on strengthening parent engagement.
Sandy led a Building Bridges effort in the residential program throughout her time at Kairos. She conducted a pilot test of the BBI Self-Assessment Tool and was the adult liaison for the Youth Advisory Council of the Kairos PRTF program. She was also a staff advisor for YouthMOVE Kairos, a chapter of YouthMOVE National, and worked with the peers and young people receiving services to provide public education and awareness, as well as to advocate for policy and practice changes in the agency and its individual programs. She is certified as a Peer Support Specialist in Oregon and worked closely with the Clinical Director and the CEO to advance youth-guided, and family driven programing and practice in the organization.
Sandy served on the Children’s System Advisory Committee for the Oregon Health Authority, was a member of the Family Leaders group and served as a committee member, bringing family voice, for the System of Care in several counties in Oregon and the Rogue Valley Wraparound Initiative.
Ms. Heine has presented statewide and nationally on incorporating Peer Delivered Services into residential interventions.