Brett Peppe is a dedicated Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor based in New Jersey. As Program Manager of the HOPES Program—a Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team—he provides crucial support to families across the state who have lost a child aged 21 or younger to suicide. His team offers immediate on-scene assistance and ongoing support through monthly survivor groups, creating a compassionate environment for families to navigate their grief.

Brett has extensive experience in community mental health, having worked at a mental health center where he wrote and maintained numerous grants while providing operational oversight and clinical supervision for various programs, including intensive and outpatient treatment, co-occurring services, supported employment, and homelessness outreach. He also served for many years as the Somerset County Traumatic Loss Coalition Coordinator, delivering essential prevention and postvention services to youth organizations after a suicide or traumatic loss.

As a credentialed trainer for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the International Trauma Center, Brett regularly conducts training on Psychological First Aid and Skills for Psychological Recovery. He is also a trainer for the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) model of suicide prevention and plays a key role in onboarding new lead responders through the Traumatic Loss Coalition’s program, “Managing Sudden Traumatic Loss in the Schools.”

In addition to his professional contributions, Brett authored “Penelope the Powerful Parrot,” a heartfelt book designed to help children cope with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic through storytelling, music, and dance. This initiative has been embraced by SAMHSA and is part of the “Hope and Healing” grant program implemented throughout New Jersey and beyond.

Brett’s commitment to supporting others is deeply personal; having lost three family members to suicide, he is unwavering in his dedication to helping individuals on their journey toward healing and hope.