​Peer Support Director

Clackamas County

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Ariana Archer is 21 years old. Like a lot of women her age, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the nature surrounding her in the beautiful state of Oregon, and cozying up with her kitty and a thrilling Spider-man comic. However, Ariana has already overcome some of life’s biggest obstacles. Not only has she shouldered responsibility fit for a much older person, she has admirably dedicated her life to teenagers and young adults who are struggling with the same problems she overcame just a few short years ago.



Ariana is a devoted older sister and caregiver to her seven siblings. As a teenager who came from a broken home, she often found herself sleeping on unfamiliar couches of gracious friends who had taken an interest in her situation. In her early teenage years, Ariana was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her mother, along with two of her sisters, suffer from mental illnesses as well. Any hope of a stable home life dissolved after her father passed away and Ariana was left with the responsibility of being a secondary parent to her younger siblings. During this chaotic time in her life, she found sanctuary in the LEAD offices of Eugene after a friend introduced her to the caring, empathetic staff that helped children and teenagers deal with challenges related to mental illness. The LEAD offices became what Ariana called her “second home”; a place where she could get away from the burden of caring for her siblings and learn how to make responsible decisions about her future. The staff encouraged her to make certain commitments to herself that would certainly change her path of life and eventually propel her towards success. After being a member of the LEAD organization, she felt the need to become more involved and so joined the Board of Members and eventually became the President of the Board. Having benefited so greatly from the services that LEAD provided, Ariana felt the need to give back. She decided to dedicate her life to helping teenagers struggling with the consequences of mental illness, much like herself. After working for LEAD, she made the transition to Youth M.O.V.E. where she has become invaluable to our team.

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Today, Ariana works as both a Youth Peer Support Provider and a Peer Delivered Services Director in Clackamas, Oregon as part of the Youth M.O.V.E. organization. She has become an irreplaceable asset to our strong community, counseling teenagers and letting them know that the work that she does changed her life in the past, and can change their lives now. She understands the consequences of poor life choices that come from struggling through experiences with mental illness. Her work has allowed her to make herself available to the teenagers that need her to walk with them on the same path to success she walked just a few years ago. She is also currently a member of the Children’s System Advisory Committee for the state of Oregon. In her personal life, Ariana has become the emotional and financial support her siblings depend on. She continues to progress towards her life goal of earning a college degree; studying at Clackamas Community College and planning on attending Portland State University to study Sociology, Political Science, and Psychology. Her story is, and continues to be, one of true inspiration. Through her personal experience and her dedication to helping others, she has proved that the unfortunate cycle of consequences related to mental illness can be broken.