Vanessa Porea is a licensed therapist and Nationally Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist (NCPRSS) who is currently a Lead Community Mental Health Trainer and Consultant on LA County Department of Mental Health/UCLA’s Public Mental Health Partnership team. A Michigan native, Vanessa graduated from Central Michigan University (CMU) with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and worked in the corporate world for several years before returning to CMU in 2015 to pursue her Master’s degree in Professional Counseling, with a focus on adolescents and co-occurring disorders. After completing her Master’s degree, Vanessa moved to Los Angeles to attend a post-graduate addictions program at UCLA. During her time in the field, Vanessa has held a variety of positions ranging from Case Manager to Clinical Director in both community and private care settings. Her internship as a therapist at a juvenile justice facility in Detroit sparked her interest and passion for community mental health, which she continued to grow during her time working in the LA County Department of Mental Health Full Service Partnership (FSP) program at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Vanessa later worked as a therapist at an adolescent residential mental health facility, eventually becoming the Clinical Director of an adult residential mental health facility. In 2024, Vanessa joined the Public Mental Health Partnership (PMHP) team at UCLA and is passionate about her work providing training and support to community mental health teams as they work to support our most vulnerable community members. In March 2025, Vanessa joined the Next Gen Advisory Council at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Vanessa’s passion for working within the mental health and addiction field stems from her own personal experience, as well as experiences with loved ones and strangers in the community. Her drive to break stigmas, support the younger generations, promote ethical, evidence-based treatment for all who struggle, and provide access to live-saving resources like naloxone has led her to collaborations with other nonprofits across the country, including Shatterproof, Don’t MiND Me, This Must Be The Place, Childhood Matters, and others.