On February 6, 2026 at Lincoln South Rotary Club we learned about Wellbeing Initiatives from Becki Roberts. The topic of her presentation was "Peer Support for Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges".
Becki opened her presentation with a slide stating "Wellbeing Initiative empowers individuals living with mental health and substance use challenges to reach their fullest potential. We strive to do this by cultivating communities through training, education, and opportunities for success.".:
She explained that they provide peer-based support - all of the staff have experienced struggles - they know what people are going through. Wellbeing Initiative launched in 2016, created by state-certified peer support specialists who saw needs for both peer services and training in our community.
The most important thing is that they listen - they find out what the client wants and needs - where they want to be. She referred to the offerings as low-barrier - non-clinical - they are not formal so they are more comfortable for some who do not want the strict services provided by some.
On their website (https://www.wellbeinginitiatives.org/) it states "We believe in the power of lived experience to drive meaningful change. Through peer-led support, education, and advocacy, we empower individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges to reclaim their well-being."
They are primarily in Lincoln but they also offer services in Omaha, Nebraska City, Falls City, Seward and York.
Becki listed their services as:
- Peer Recovery Support - provide guidance, support and encouragement.
- Harm Reduction & Overdose Prevention - provide individual training or community presentations; can help you recognize someone in overdose crisis, they distribute Narcan and can provide other training to prevent overdose and reduce the risk of substance abuse
- Community Resource Navigation - help get a client to a therapist or to other services if / as needed and desired by the client; they will also help with other resources such as housing, employment; they can even help a person navigate the Medicare / Medicaid system
- Youth & Family Support - resources and guidance for young people and their families to navigate challenges related to mental health, substance use, and overall wellbeing; provide a place and time for juveniles on probation to spend time in a positive environment
- Support Groups - for those that want to work in a group environment in addition to / instead of individual one-on-one sessions; there are a variety of support groups with title such as:
Self Advocacy
Open Recovery
Cancer Support
Alternatives to Suicide
Yoga for 12 step recovery
Becki shared some individual stories of individuals - what they were facing when they become clients. In some cases, those individuals end up being peer support staff because of their successful experiences.
They serve all ages and estimated about 1000 per year using some sort of services.
Their funding is primarily Federal and State Grants and contracts. There are some community based funds such as the Community Foundations and individual donations..
Thanks to this funding, the peer support services are at no cost to participants. There are costs for trainings for specialists; however most of those are low-cost, and often are underwritten by grant funders so they can provide full scholarships.
PHONE - 531-254-5451
EMAIL - WBI@WINITIATIVE.ORG
WEBSITE - WELLBEINGINITIATIVES.ORG
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/wellbeinginitiativeinc
INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/wellbeinginitiativeinc
EMAIL - WBI@WINITIATIVE.ORG
WEBSITE - WELLBEINGINITIATIVES.ORG
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/wellbeinginitiativeinc
INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/wellbeinginitiativeinc
BIO
As Development Director for Wellbeing Initiative, Becki delights in spreading the concept of peer support, using our own lived experiences to support individuals facing mental health and/or substance use challenges. Becki has worked in fundraising for human services nonprofits in Lincoln for 15 years, after a 20-year career in local newspaper journalism and a two-year Peace Corps stint in between careers. She and her partner Jeff Smith live in east Lincoln with their geriatric puggle, Henry.
Wellbeing Initiative (www.wellbeinginitiatives.org)