At Alexander Solutions, we believe recovery looks different for everyone.
We empower individuals to make decisions that support their personal goals because recovery without a plan is not recovery. At Alexander Solutions we integrate the Eight Dimensions of Wellness to help treat the whole person and provide a holistic process toward recovery. Through individual programs like Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery), and Seeking Safety, we help build meaningful, sustainable recovery plans.
What a Peer Specialist Does
A Peer Support Specialist, often referred to as a “Peer,” is an occupational title for a person who (a) has personal experience with mental health and/or substance use problem, and (b) is willing to talk about their experience in order to help others trying to recover from these or similar problems.
Common ways that peer specialists help:
Providing examples of success
Modeling positive behaviors
Mentoring and guidance
Counseling and support
Reaching out
Helping clients regain full lives in the community
Educating clients and families
Educating providers and health care systems
Advocating for client concerns
Because there are many different forms of peer support, it is important to distinguish what we do and don’t do at Alexander Solutions.
Peer Specialists Do
Present themselves as someone with personal experience of having a clinical problem and experience using treatment to successfully manage or cope with that problem.
Provide support and guidance to others trying to deal with a clinical problem.
Talk about their experience in a way that helps others successfully use treatments and self-help strategies to recover from their problems.
Collaborate with clinical providers. This may include advocating with providers for change in the clinician’s service to better help the person they are serving.
Provide information and educate people about what they’ve learned through their own experience.
Try to improve healthcare by advocating with healthcare organizations for clients’ interests or needs.
Peer Specialists Don’t
Present themselves as something other than a Peer Specialist. They do not hide their role as a peer or their past experience when it would be helpful to those they are working with.
Provide formal psychotherapy or any other specific clinical service outside their scope of practice or their skills.
Talk about their experiences or themselves in a way that is not helpful or distracts from the needs of the person they are serving.
Work against the efforts of the clinical providers.
Speak about information that is beyond their training or expertise.
Take actions or make statements that damage the relationship between clients and healthcare organizations/providers.
About Us
Michael Denard Alexander
NCCPSS, COAPS, FPSS, Advanced Wrap Facilitator
michael@alexander-wellness.com
336.671.2277
Certified Peer Support Specialist, Advocate for Mental Health Equity and Founder of Alexander Solutions
Michael Denard Alexander is a dedicated North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist with a wealth of lived experience and professional training. His certifications include:
North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist
Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator
Forensic Peer Support Specialist
Certified Older Adults Peer Support Specialist
IPS Supported Employment for Peer Specialists
Mr. Alexander blends formal education with hard-earned insight, offering peer-led support grounded in the Eight Dimensions of Wellness. Through his company, Alexander Solutions, he empowers individuals to define recovery on their own terms—guiding clients through programs such as WRAP, SMART Recovery, and Seeking Safety. His belief is simple and bold: Recovery without a plan is not recovery.
Having lived through the impacts of mental health challenges, addiction, and involvement with the criminal justice system, Mr. Alexander understands the complexities peers face on their path to recovery. His work with the Forsyth County Adult Treatment Court and the Behavioral Health Clinic is informed by both his personal journey and his professional training—making him a trusted advocate for those navigating similar systems.
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Before entering the mental health field, Mr. Alexander built a distinguished 30-year career with the City of Winston-Salem Utilities Division, serving as the ORC (Operator in Responsible Charge) of the Waste Water Collection System. During this time, he also worked as a Motor Coach Operator with Sunway Charters & Tours—an experience that would later prove invaluable.
Following his retirement, Mr. Alexander was given a vision to continue serving others. He launched Alexander Operator & Construction Training LLC, where he trained individuals to operate medium and heavy equipment. This venture deepened his commitment to community empowerment.
Utilizing his driving expertise, Mr. Alexander accepted a new role as Mobile Clinic Coordinator at Winston-Salem State University, where he helped launch the university’s Behavioral Health Clinic. It was in this setting that his journey as a Certified Peer Support Specialist became a reality.
Cynthia Chisholm
NCCPSS, COAPS, FPSS, Community Health Worker
cynthia@alexander-wellness.com
336.775.6449
Certified Peer Support Specialist, Justice Advocate, Facilitator and Lived Experience Leader
Cynthia Chisholm brings both professional expertise and a deeply personal perspective to her work in behavioral health and justice reform. Her certifications include:
North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist
Certified Older Adults Peer Support Specialist
Forensic Peer Support Specialist
Forensic Peer Support Facilitator
Alternative to Suicide Facilitator
North Carolina Certified Community Health Worker
Ms. Chisholm is also trained in a range of peer-led wellness and crisis tools, including WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), Emotional CPR, and When the Conversation Turns to Suicide. Her work is grounded in trauma-informed practices and the Eight Dimensions of Wellness.
Having faced addiction, survived domestic violence, and experienced incarceration, Ms. Chisholm brings unparalleled empathy and authenticity to her peer support work. Her lived experience enables her to build trust with individuals navigating similar challenges—whether related to mental health, substance use, trauma, or systemic barriers.
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As a founding member of The Black Coalition of Forensic Peer Support Specialists, Cynthia helps amplify the voices of Black individuals impacted by the criminal justice system—advancing healing, advocacy, and equity from within the community itself.
A recent graduate of Gardner-Webb University, Ms. Chisholm holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Services, adding academic rigor to her on-the-ground insights. She pairs that knowledge with heart-centered leadership, creating safe and inclusive spaces where individuals are empowered to heal and grow.
Today, Ms. Chisholm dedicates her life to walking alongside others in recovery and reentry. She cultivates connection, offers hope, and helps peers build the resilience needed to achieve meaningful, self-defined success.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Whether you’re seeking support, collaboration, or clarity on recovery services, Alexander Solutions is here to help. Reach out today to start a conversation—because no one should have to walk this path alone.