Penn Foundation Names Matt Deery, CPS, As Peer Support Team Leader

Matt Deery, a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), has been named Team Leader of Penn Foundation’s Peer Support Team. Deery has worked at Penn Foundation for four years, three of which have been with Peer Support.

Deery’s first experience with the Peer Support Team was as a client himself. At that time, he had no idea just how profoundly the program would impact his life. “Out of everything I’ve done while working towards recovery, nothing gave me more hope than the Certified Peer Specialists I met,” he says. “Seeing individuals who live with mental health challenges using their experiences to help others deeply resonated with me. I knew that I wanted to impact others’ lives in the same way my CPS impacted mine.”

Deery went on to become a CPS and completed the Peer Support Supervisor training in 2019. He serves on the Montgomery County Peer Advisory Committee and as a WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) facilitator. Deery is currently studying for his CPRP (Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner) exam.

“When I first came to Penn Foundation, it had been years since I last worked, and I had lost hope that I would ever be able to work again. But through the mental health services I received at Penn Foundation, I continued to grow in my recovery and develop lifelong skills that I am bringing to my new position,” says Deery. “I am now the Team Leader in the same Peer Support program that truly transformed my life. I look forward to continuing to share and model my recovery journey with my peers.”

“Matt has been a vital and steady support to his co-workers and peers throughout the past challenging year,” says Trish Nye, Director of Peer Support Services. “He took the initiative to develop, facilitate, and coach Peer Support staff on group engagement and how to foster a successful virtual group environment. Matt’s attention to detail, his strengths-based, recovery-oriented approach, and his dedication to Penn Foundation’s mission of instilling hope, inspiring change, and building community in all of his interactions make him the perfect fit for the Team Leader position.