Harping with Howie: a Peer Support Podcast

The Howettes
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

An after-school special for adults. Participants in the award-winning Howie the Harp Peer Support Specialist Training program in New York City share their experience, strength, and hope. What worked, what didn't, and what they learned along the way. What is peer support? One of the best-kept secrets in mental healthcare. Hosts and program participants Anna Butler, John F. O'Donnell, and Ben Roberts bring wisdom and levity to the best of times and the worst of times. Cover Art by Pepper Auerbach. On Instagram @iwasateenagepepper

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    I Was Able to Make Myself My Own Hero

    How can gaming heal you? Let Naomi tell you all about it. On today's very special episode of Harping with Howie, hosts Anna Butler and John F. O'Donnell talk to a fellow program participant from the Howie the Harp Peer Support Specialist Training Center in New York City. With courage and candor, Naomi walks you through her recovery journey with PTSD. Her story asks the question: are we shaped by our history or are we the creators of our own lives? The answer (as with most binaries) is both. We'll let Naomi take it away from here. Cover art by Pepper Auerbach on Instagram @iwasateenagepepper Content note: this episode discusses child sexual abuse and sexual harassment

  2. Aug 25

    I Want to Be of Service, But Not That Kind of Service

    Welcome back Howettes to the second episode of Harping with Howie! Today we talk to Anwar from the Summer 2026 cohort of the Howie the Harp peer support specialist training program in Harlem. Anwar details his beginnings in both the mean and nice streets of Chicago, through his time in college, rehab, and New York's housing system. From being the life of the party to finding a life that's more than just a party, Anwar epitomizes the heart of recovery, which is often just putting one foot in front of the other. Trauma may come at you from all sides, but wherever you go, there you are. Anwar tips his hat to his time in the restaurant service industry, but he's now ready to be of a different type of service to other people. Pull up a chair or earbud and join us on Anwar's journey of hope and recovery. Cover art by Pepper Auerbach on Instagram @iwasateenagepepper Content note: this episode discusses domestic violence and includes adult language

  3. Aug 16

    Do You Know How Confident You Have to Be to Think You're Jesus?

    The key is having a grandmother who loves you too much. Just ask John! In this very first episode ever of Harping with Howie: a Peer Support Podcast, hosts Anna Butler and John O'Donnell talk about what led them to the Peer Support Training program at the Howie the Harp Advocacy Center in New York City. Along the way, they share tidbits of their story, like when Anna was accused of stealing $25,000 from a bank or when John was in cahoots with Bono. Above all, John and Anna offer candid reflections about some of the most difficult parts of their mental health journeys and what truly helped. The only drug we're dealing here folks is Hope, not dope. Buckle in as we begin our curiosity adventure into the depths of the human mind and heart. Cover Art by Pepper Auerbach. On Instagram @iwasateenagepepper Content note: this episode discusses childhood trauma, sexual assault, eating disorders, alcoholism, suicidal ideation, and psychiatric hospitalization.

    Do You Know How Confident You Have to Be to Think You're Jesus?
  • 3 Episodes

About

An after-school special for adults. Participants in the award-winning Howie the Harp Peer Support Specialist Training program in New York City share their experience, strength, and hope. What worked, what didn't, and what they learned along the way. What is peer support? One of the best-kept secrets in mental healthcare. Hosts and program participants Anna Butler, John F. O'Donnell, and Ben Roberts bring wisdom and levity to the best of times and the worst of times. Cover Art by Pepper Auerbach. On Instagram @iwasateenagepepper

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