Black and white logo with the words "Peer Project" in large, bold, irregular letters, and underneath in smaller text, "Queer & Chronically-Ill Centered Peer Support."

MEET OUR PEER TEAM

Real care, real people, no diagnosis required.

Our Peer Support & Community-Based Mental Health program offers something different: a grassroots alternative to traditional mental health systems, designed by and for people with lived experience of trauma, madness, queerness, chronic illness, disability, and survival. Whether you’ve been let down by the system or never felt safe enough to reach out for help, you’re not alone. You deserve support that meets you where you are.

Peer Support Team member with short dark hair and glasses in front of a blue background with graphic design elements.

Dustin

They/Them

Dustin Leu is a certified Peer Support Specialist and Traditional Healthcare Worker. Dustin’s hope is that they can help others feel less alone within whatever systems or challenges they may be navigating.

They believe that a strong sense of community and belonging can go a long way in any mental health recovery journey. Dustin utilizes empathy-forward and trauma-informed support to help people build resiliency skills and feel empowered to accomplish their goals. They implement motivational interviewing and harm reduction into their care to strengthen peer autonomy.

Outside of peer support, you will find Dustin either with their nose in a book, walking around their neighborhood, singing and playing guitar, or playing board games with their friends.

To connect with Dustin, text 971.260.9705

Peer Support Team member with a long braid, wearing a baseball cap and a patterned jacket, with a green background and white graphic lines.

Lago

She/They

Gabriella aka Lago is a community health worker, holistic nutritionist, herbalist and body trust provider. They are of Nicaraguan Indigenous Chorotega and Polish Slavic ancestry. They graduated from The Wellspring School for Healing Arts in 2018 where they studied nutrition with both an Eastern and Western lens. They are also an abortion doula, certified by Birthworkers of Color in 2020.

Their practice weaves Indigenous Matriarchal wisdoms and Mesoamérican traditional medicine with a health-at-every-size approach and practical support for navigating wellness in late-stage capitalism. Their passion lies in providing gender and cultural affirming care that honors mind, body, spirit, and connection with earth.

As a CHW, they can support you with emotional, cultural, and practical aspects of health and healing in the following ways:

  • 1:1 wellness coaching with a nutrition focus

  • Preventative medicine, health education, and implementation of food and lifestyle support

  • Hands-on cooking instruction and meal preparation

  • Connection to resources including food, housing, herbal, and social service support

  • Patient care advocacy within the healthcare system, appointment scheduling

  • Abortion companion support: going with you to appointments, medication management, herbal resources, practical support during the process, postpartum care, ceremony, and spirit care.

To connect with Lago, text 971.260.9705

Peer Support Team member with short dark hair, glasses, and a friendly smile, standing against a pink and patterned background.

Lyndsay

She/They

Lyndsay is a Peer Support Specialist and Traditional Health Worker with lived experience navigating neurodivergence, chronic illness (Lyme disease), and perimenopause. Fun stuff!

As someone living at the intersection of these experiences, they understand what it’s like to manage unpredictable symptoms, navigate a confusing healthcare system, and figure out how to live in a body that doesn’t always cooperate—in a culture that wasn’t built with us in mind.

They bring a steady presence, lived insight, and a creative approach to the long game of healing. Lyndsay walks alongside others through the fatigue, frustration, and the clarity that can emerge when people have space to explore what truly works for themselves—on their terms, at their pace.

To connect with Lyndsay, text 971.260.9705

  • A smiling woman with long dark hair and tattoos, standing outdoors with green trees in the background.

    Gabby Bordonali (she/ her)

    QMHP, PEER PROGRAM ADVISOR

    Gabby Bordonali is a trauma-informed therapist experienced with severe mental illness, especially schizophrenia, and with neurodivergent clients. Holding a Master’s in Psychology, she integrates CBT, ACT, Exposure Therapy, and IFS. Certified in crisis prevention with legal system experience, Gabby excels under pressure. An advocate for the queer community, she fosters safe, affirming therapy, helping clients heal, build trust, and rediscover resilience and joy while embracing their stories with clarity and confidence.

  • A smiling woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a teal T-shirt and large earrings, standing outdoors in front of green foliage.

    Natasha Laumei, LPC (she/her)

    PEER PROGRAM OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

    Natasha became a therapist through her own healing journey and love of exploring how stories shape human experience. Her lived experience with family estrangement, attachment trauma, complex PTSD, religious abuse, chronic illness, queer identity, and a neurodiverse, highly sensitive system informs her work. Since 2009, she has supported adolescents, adults, and children in community mental health, residential, outdoor, and correctional settings, providing crisis intervention, family, group, and individual therapy across diverse backgrounds.

  • Close-up of a person with a beard and piercings, wearing a floral shirt and standing in front of a brown wooden background.

    Nautilus Torello (he/they)

    PEER PROGRAM STAFF + TRAINING DIRECTOR

    Nautilus Torello (he/they) has over a decade of experience transforming peer-delivered services into practices of justice, liberation, and collective care. With deep roots in queer and neurodivergent communities, he has served as peer supporter, director, and consultant, centering mutuality and shared power.

    As a certified trainer in Intentional Peer Support (IPS) and Queer IPS, Nautilus challenges pathologizing frameworks and builds culture-shifting approaches rooted in solidarity and community care.

Support peer support

Peer Support Project provides compassionate, trauma-aware support for individuals navigating mental health challenges. Our trained peer specialists use their lived experience to walk alongside others, offering connection, advocacy, and practical guidance. With accessibility and equity at the center, we reduce barriers to care and foster community resilience. Your donation helps expand peer support, ensuring more people receive the understanding and resources they need. Support the Peer Support Project today!