Jeffrey Najarian
Senior Wellness Coordinator
Jeffrey Najarian is Wakeland’s Senior Wellness Coordinator, part of a specialized division of our Resident Services department that focuses on providing provide peer support and connections to healthcare and wellness services for residents in Wakeland’s supportive housing. Wakeland’s Wellness Coordinators work closely with residents who have experienced homelessness and have complex needs, with the goal of improving behavioral health stability and whole person wellness. As Senior Wellness Coordinator, Najarian helps support the Wellness Coordinators in their day-to-day work; provides training to the Wellness Coordinators and Resident Service Coordinators; identifies and links staff to outside training and educational opportunities including certifications; assists with de-escalation and crisis intervention; and identifies and leverages community services, including wellness services to assist residents in their wellness and recovery goals.
Najarian has spent more than a decade of his professional life working to bring resources for recovery and wellness to people in the behavioral health system. Prior to joining Wakeland, he helped to support the creation and implementation of the San Diego County Peer Liaison at RI International, which conducted outreach to over 88,000 people in its ten years of operation. While working at RI International, Najarian personally conducted 5,500 community meetings, speaking to over 32,000 people.
He holds a number of professional certifications, including Peer Employment Training, Transformational Advocacy and Advanced Peer Recovery Practices. He is also a certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator.
Najarian is deeply involved in San Diego’s County’s behavioral health system, serving on the County of San Diego’s Behavioral Health Services Housing Council since 2009 and co-chairing the Adult Behavioral Health Council since 2011. He serves on the Board of Directors for Housing Innovation Partners, one of the first San Diego nonprofits to develop permanent housing for people who have experienced homelessness. Najarian is also a member of the San Diego Continuum Care Board, which oversees policies and programs for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
He has received several community acknowledgments for his advocacy work, including the Independent Living Association’s “Advocate of the Year” (2015), the Behavioral Health Recognition Dinner “Dan Reese Award” (2018), and the San Diego Housing Federation’s Ruby Award ”Outstanding Service For Residents” (2021).
Najarian studied Psychology at Indiana University, graduated from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, and spent 20 years teaching and practicing in the holistic healing arts with a specialization in recovery from shock and trauma.
Jeffrey Najarian is Wakeland’s Senior Wellness Coordinator, part of a specialized division of our Resident Services department that focuses on providing provide peer support and connections to healthcare and wellness services for residents in Wakeland’s supportive housing. Wakeland’s Wellness Coordinators work closely with residents who have experienced homelessness and have complex needs, with the goal of improving behavioral health stability and whole person wellness. As Senior Wellness Coordinator, Najarian helps support the Wellness Coordinators in their day-to-day work; provides training to the Wellness Coordinators and Resident Service Coordinators; identifies and links staff to outside training and educational opportunities including certifications; assists with de-escalation and crisis intervention; and identifies and leverages community services, including wellness services to assist residents in their wellness and recovery goals.
Najarian has spent more than a decade of his professional life working to bring resources for recovery and wellness to people in the behavioral health system. Prior to joining Wakeland, he helped to support the creation and implementation of the San Diego County Peer Liaison at RI International, which conducted outreach to over 88,000 people in its ten years of operation. While working at RI International, Najarian personally conducted 5,500 community meetings, speaking to over 32,000 people.
He holds a number of professional certifications, including Peer Employment Training, Transformational Advocacy and Advanced Peer Recovery Practices. He is also a certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator.
Najarian is deeply involved in San Diego’s County’s behavioral health system, serving on the County of San Diego’s Behavioral Health Services Housing Council since 2009 and co-chairing the Adult Behavioral Health Council since 2011. He serves on the Board of Directors for Housing Innovation Partners, one of the first San Diego nonprofits to develop permanent housing for people who have experienced homelessness. Najarian is also a member of the San Diego Continuum Care Board, which oversees policies and programs for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
He has received several community acknowledgments for his advocacy work, including the Independent Living Association’s “Advocate of the Year” (2015), the Behavioral Health Recognition Dinner “Dan Reese Award” (2018), and the San Diego Housing Federation’s Ruby Award ”Outstanding Service For Residents” (2021).
Najarian studied Psychology at Indiana University, graduated from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, and spent 20 years teaching and practicing in the holistic healing arts with a specialization in recovery from shock and trauma.