Brandee Trewin Peer Support Site Manager

“I suffer from severe anxiety and some depression,” Brandee Trewin readily admits. But the peer support specialist site manager serving Tama County and based in Tama for Plugged-In-Iowa says this benefits her clients as well as herself.

“I love it, I don’t see myself doing anything else, Trewin, of Traer, said last week. Trewin has a B.S. degree in Social Work and a minor in Psychology from Upper Iowa University. She also staffs a location in Vinton.

Everyone believing they might benefit are invited to the Plugged-In Iowa Peer Recovery Zone (PZR) at the St. Patrick Church in Tama. There they take part in a program which aims to provide and add support to the progress they have made in recovery from mental health challenges.

“It’s a fun, safe, confidential place,” Trewin says. She says getting to know clients and “accommodating their needs.” Trewin says and issues with housing to medical or other requirements are priorities and are met first.

There are one-on-one sessions and group events offerings ranging from book discussions movie day, people’s choice to mental health matters. A calendar of upcoming events are posted on the Peer Recovery Zone – Tama, Iowa, Facebook page.

The walk-in center is open each Thursday from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. No appointments are necessary and the service is free of charge.

People ranging in age for 20 to 70 have visited the center since Trewin took over duties in May, 2019, she says. About the only requirement is clients must be adults- at least 18-years-old.

Plugged-In Iowa is a non-profit which receives a portion of its funding from County Social Services, the 22-member county organization which provides a mental health and disability service region and includes Tama County.

Plugged-in Iowa was founded and is owned in 2015 by Jason Orent, now of rural Brooklyn, Iowa. He is a is a certified mental health peer support specialist and previously had served as Iowa Director of Consumer Affairs.

“Support recovery, relate” is the approach Orent’s organization provides, he told The News-Herald last week.

“We provide mental health support form a different angle – not being offered much in the state,” he said.