THE LOSS OF NAPS – The National Association of Peer Supporters

On June 12th the NAPS Board of Directors sent out an email letting members know that the organization was shuttering.  

 “After exhausting all options, we have made the heartbreaking decision to dissolve the 501(c)(3) entity known as the National Association of Peer Supporters.

 We know this is a loss that will be felt across the peer support community. And yet, we also know this: the work of peer support is far greater than any one organization. We believe in the power of peer support to transform lives and communities-- and hold systems accountable. We believe in thriving beyond traditional frameworks. And we trust in the collective wisdom and resilience of this community to carry the work forward.

 To everyone who has been a part of N.A.P.S.—members, partners, supporters, and allies—we thank you. “

  This is a very big loss for the field of peer support at a time when the need for a national professional organization for Peer Supporters could not be higher.

 I don’t know what is behind the decision, but I think it is important that we consider what we are losing.

 Professional organizations play a number of important roles.  Organizations like NAPS:

1.      Represent the profession to the public, to the government, to healthcare and social service organizations, and to other professions.  Professional settings involve competition, advocacy and negotiation between representatives for the various professions.  Peers now have no representative.

 2.      Create opportunities for Peer Supporters to build and advance this relatively new profession.  Whether it is by developing professional guidelines, influencing state credentialling, or responding to complaints from Peers, organizations like NAPS enhance the development of the professional practice of peer support.  They collect the concerns and complaints of members and try to create lasting solutions to the underlying problems.

 3.      They create opportunities for Peers to meet, share their experience and educate each other.  NAPS organized a national conference every September.  That conference was a great place to hear about the big issues facing the field, innovative practices that Peers were doing, and opportunities for new funding and new peer projects.  That conference was a badly needed opportunity to build national relationships between Peers. 

  The field of Peer Support is still in its infancy, and so the loss of NAPS represents a particular danger.

 Without a national organization like NAPS, there is likely to be more confusion and inefficiency in how the practice of Peer Support develops.

 Without a national organization like NAPS, other stakeholders in the healthcare and social service fields are likely to dominate decisions that are relevant to Peers, resulting in lost opportunities for Peers.

 The loss of NAPS may be read by other stakeholders as evidence that Peer Support Specialists are not ready for playing a substantive part in the professional arena.  They may see this as an opportunity to reduce the role of Peers or simply as a reason to put less confidence in the future of peer support. 

 The field of Peer Support Specialists is not going away – it is too important to the future of healthcare.  We need a new organization to fill the gap left by NAPS. I suspect there are already meetings among interested parties who may step in to develop the next version of NAPS.  If not, some of the larger state and local Peer organizations should create a venue for all interested stakeholders to meet and start building the next generation of a national peer professional organization.

It would be helpful if we knew what led NAPS to dissolve, as we need to band together to ensure the next organization survives and thrives.  If NAPS board members would be willing to share some of the details, it could help us avoid a similar outcome in the future.  Certainly there were financial factors.  Possibly there were political and/or leadership factors.  Whatever the cause, we would benefit from an open discussion in order to ensure that we are more successful next time.

I have attended annual meetings of professional organizations for many years, and it is clear to me how important these groups are to the professional future of their respective groups.  We should all be carefully watching for the development of the next version of NAPS, and energetically engage in a national dialogue about how to support and empower that organization to represent the practice in a way that promotes the future and professional health of peer support.

DISCLOSURE: I was a member of NAPS from 2023 to 2025.