Bayfield & Ashland Counties, Wisconsin
You are not alone on this journey.
Connection, not condemnation.
North Star Peer Support offers welcoming, judgment-free companionship for anyone navigating mental health or substance use challenges. Reach out any way that feels safest — a peer is ready to listen.
All conversations are confidential. There's no pressure and no wrong reason to reach out.
Who we are
Meeting you exactly where you are.
North Star Peer Support's mission is to create a diverse and inclusive community that meets individuals where they're at on their personal journeys. We wholeheartedly embrace many pathways to well-being and are committed to the principles of harm reduction.
Our non-profit peer support group provides unwavering support, fostering an environment of understanding and connection. We celebrate the unique routes that lead to mental health and personal growth, recognizing that diversity enriches our collective experience.
We primarily serve those in Bayfield and Ashland counties. We work with the CCS (Comprehensive Community Services) program and Bayfield County Treatment Court, walking alongside participants actively working toward recovery from mental health and substance use challenges.
What is peer support?
A companion who has walked this path.
A Certified Peer Specialist is someone with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use recovery, trained by the State of Wisconsin to support others. Peer support is not therapy and not clinical advice — it is genuine, human connection from someone who truly gets it.
Reduced Hospitalization
Peer support has been shown to keep people well more often.
Fewer Relapses
Consistent, understanding companionship helps people stay steady in their recovery.
Less Isolation
A peer brings connection, community, and a felt sense of belonging.
Lasting Recovery
Long-term outcomes improve — including engagement in treatment and quality of life.
In the community
Where our peers walk with people
Our Certified Peer Specialists show up in hospitals, clinics, and other health care settings — and increasingly alongside law enforcement and in judicial settings. Wherever someone is struggling, we believe a familiar, non-judgmental voice can make the difference.
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Law enforcement
- Judicial settings
Our dedication
Growing a reliable circle of care in the Northwoods.
There is a real shortage of mental health care — including peer support — across our rural communities. By training and sustaining more Certified Peer Specialists here at home, we shrink that gap with people who already belong here.
Rooted locally
Peers who know these towns, these lakes, and this life.
Trained & certified
Every peer is a State of Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist.
A livable wage
We pay our peers fairly so this can be a career, not a side gig.
Here for the long haul
Consistent, reliable support — for as long as our neighbors need it.
Our team
Neighbors, peers, and quiet advocates.
Our board and peer specialists live and work across Bayfield and Ashland counties. Every one of us is here because someone once showed up for us.
Michael Kelly
President & Founder · CPS / CPPS
Justin Hanson
Vice President · CPS
Susanna Ehler
Treasurer · CPS
Natalie Anderson
Secretary · Board of Directors
Tanya Kraege
Board of Directors · CPS
Eli Corbine
Board of Directors · CPS
Midge Montano
Board of Directors · CPS
Lisa Knudtson
Board of Directors · CPS
In their words
What connection sounds like.
My peer didn't try to fix me. She sat with me. That's the first time in a long time I felt like a person again.
Program participant
Having a Certified Peer Specialist in the room changes the whole tone of a call. People open up in a way they never do with us alone.
Community partner
I finally saw my brother start reaching out again. North Star's peers gave him someone who truly understood.
Family member
For the first time recovery didn't feel like a checklist. It felt like a friendship, on my own terms and at my own pace.
Program participant
Our patients leave the ER with a name and a number of someone who has actually been there. That changes outcomes.
Emergency department nurse
I was scared to call. My peer was patient and never pushed. Two months in, I'm still showing up — and so is she.
Program participant
In court, having a peer beside a defendant reminds everyone in the room that recovery is real and it's possible.
Treatment court staff
It's not therapy — it's better in a way. It's someone who has felt what I feel and still made it here.
Program participant
My peer didn't try to fix me. She sat with me. That's the first time in a long time I felt like a person again.
Program participant
Having a Certified Peer Specialist in the room changes the whole tone of a call. People open up in a way they never do with us alone.
Community partner
I finally saw my brother start reaching out again. North Star's peers gave him someone who truly understood.
Family member
For the first time recovery didn't feel like a checklist. It felt like a friendship, on my own terms and at my own pace.
Program participant
Our patients leave the ER with a name and a number of someone who has actually been there. That changes outcomes.
Emergency department nurse
I was scared to call. My peer was patient and never pushed. Two months in, I'm still showing up — and so is she.
Program participant
In court, having a peer beside a defendant reminds everyone in the room that recovery is real and it's possible.
Treatment court staff
It's not therapy — it's better in a way. It's someone who has felt what I feel and still made it here.
Program participant
Questions
Common questions, answered gently.
Reach out
A peer is ready when you are.
Call, text, email, or send a quiet message. There's no wrong way to reach out — and no wrong reason. A real person will answer.
PO Box 514, Washburn, WI 54891