Lakes Region Mental Health Center’s Chris Grasso was recently honored as the recipient of NAMI New Hampshire 2025 Peer Support Professional Award.
This award was well deserved. Executive Director Susan Stearns noted that Chris was nominated by multiple people. Just of few of the things that they had to say were about his dedication and embodiment of what Peer Support is about, his work developing the statewide Peer Support curriculum, and his immediate response to help those involved after the NH Hospital shooting tragedy.
As Chris accepted the award, he said that he hadn’t prepared a speech because he struggled with “Where do I start? Where does it end?” (If you know Chris, you know he likes to talk!)
What he said couldn’t have been better if he’d planned it a year in advance: “When I came here to NH about ten years ago, I denied anything about my mental health issues and other troubles. I was a regional manager for about 18 years for a retailer. But then, I just couldn’t do it anymore. Then I was able to find LRMHC, where I was a patient at first. They were able to support me- I still wasn’t able to talk about my problems- I wore masks, we all wear masks, whether it be for family or for friends. But that’s not the way to live. And that’s what Lakes Region Mental Health taught me, and that’s what Peer Support taught me- that you’re not alone. And that’s the most important thing to know. You’re NEVER alone. There’s always someone you can call. There’s always someone out there who has been in your shoes. Peer support is amazing, and Peers are there to validate that your struggles are real.” ~ Chris Grasso
