About Us
About Us
Milkweed Connections, LLC was founded in 2017 as a partnership of member-owners providing Comprehensive Community Services to individuals throughout western Wisconsin, and as of 2020 is also providing peer services for Choices (First Episode Psychosis) in northwest Wisconsin and peer-based support in the Dunn County Family Treatment Court. Milkweed also provides training and consulting services. With the diverse experiences and talents each member brings to the work, Milkweed is able to provide peer support and recovery coaching, as well as wellness tools like yoga, mindfulness, life coaching, martial arts, and many other integrative practices to individuals seeking health, wholeness, and recovery.
Each member of Milkweed Connections identifies as someone who has experienced challenges related to mental health, trauma, substance use, or other difficult life circumstances, and we are committed to providing support services from a peer perspective.
Milkweed Connections is guided by values consistent with the consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement (also known as the peer recovery movement). These include a belief in the possibility of healing and recovery, a focus on choice and self-determination, and an understanding of the social and environmental factors that play a role in an individual’s experience.
Vision, Mission, & Core Values
Vision:
We envision a transformed culture built on mutual respect in which all people have the right to choose their own paths to healing and wholeness.
Mission:
Our mission is to break down the barriers that keep people from living full and meaningful lives. We do this by building authentic human connections, advocating with the people we support, and creating opportunities for holistic and lasting health.
Core Values:
Self-determination
We believe that everyone is capable of making decisions about their own lives. We will support people to make informed choices about their health and well-being, free from force or coercion.
Authenticity
We believe in the healing power of genuine human connections. We strive to build trusting relationships based on honesty, kindness, and hope.
Wholeness
We believe that every person is whole and capable of defining wellness for themselves. We strive to support people to find paths to holistic and lasting health.
Unconditional High Regard
We believe in the inherent dignity and worth of each person, and we strive to hold ourselves and others in unconditional high regard.
Mutuality
We seek to build relationships based on shared power. We recognize that we are all capable of both teaching and learning based on the wisdom of our unique life experiences.
Transformation
We believe in the transformational power of personal and collective healing.
We recognize that we live in a world in need of transformation from the harms caused by oppression, historical trauma, and inequity. We recognize that personal healing goes hand-in-hand with the work of social transformation to a more just world. We commit to individual and collective accountability in making this transformation a reality.
About Our Name
Milkweed Connections is named for the milkweed plant, which is essential for monarch butterflies at all stages of their development. Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, and monarch caterpillars rely on milkweed plants to grow and develop. The many different species of milkweed plants throughout the United States provide monarch butterflies with food throughout their long migration journeys. The scientific name for milkweed is Asclepias, named for Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. We hope that, like the many varieties of milkweed, we at Milkweed Connections can provide many opportunities to support individuals on their journeys to wholeness.