AFN Presents at the 2025 National Wraparound Conference

“Utilizing Wraparound Skills to Enhance Clinical Crisis Intervention”

AFN had the honor of presenting at the 2025 National Wraparound Conference, where we shared the deep and often unseen impact of Family Peer Support in Allegheny County.

Our session, “Utilizing Wraparound Skills to Enhance Clinical Crisis Intervention,” focused on how peer-delivered support—grounded in lived experience—can change the course of a crisis. Through personal stories and frontline insights, we highlighted what happens when families in crisis are met with understanding instead of judgment, and with connection instead of clinical distance.

The room was full. The energy was honest. And the responses reminded us that peer support isn’t just an add-on—it’s essential.

At AFN, we’ve seen time and again how wraparound values—voice, choice, family strengths, and unconditional support—can shift outcomes. But more than anything, it’s the relationships built through shared experience that truly make the difference.

As systems look for more effective ways to respond to crisis, we believe this approach offers more than hope—it offers direction.

We’re grateful to have had the chance to share our work, and even more grateful for the families and staff who inspire it every single day.