JEANINE HOFF is a suicidologist, therapist, lived experience advocate and the visionary founder of Where is the Sunshine, a Florida-based non-profit organization and social media resource dedicated to peer support and mental health advocacy through education and community collaboration. Recently featured in FORBES MAGAZINE and OPRAH MAGAZINE (see links below) in 2020, Jeanine was named as one of five Gutin Family Scholarship recipients by the American Association of Suicidologyand received the Charles English Scholarship from the Mental Health Counselors Association of Central Florida for her written work on rethinking mental health advocacy in Florida. In 2021, Jeanine will be a featured presenter at Mental Health America’s National Conference for the third time (2021, 2018, 2017), the Florida Behavioral Health Conference, and the Northeast Florida Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NEFCADA).Most recently she presented at the State of Florida’s Family Café, an annual conference on disabilities. Jeanine is a 2016 TEDx Jacksonville speaker and co-presented the 2018 Florida Mental Health Summit with I Still Matter and Mental Health America of Northeast, FL. She was a 2018 International Association of Peer Supporters conference presenter and currently serves as aTEDx FSCJ speaker coach. Jeanine is in the process of completing her Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training (CRPS) and is a certified instructor for the National Council for Behavioral Health Mental Health First Aid program, a certified presenter for the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ (NAMI) Ending the Silence, Peer-to-Peer and Connections programs, a member of the National Association of Social Workers, American Mental Health Counselors Association, Florida Mental Health Counselors Association, and the Peer Support Coalition of Florida. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid (YOUTH), Suicide Prevention (QPR), and Wellness Action Recovery Plan (WRAP). Jeanine is a contributor for Option B, The Mighty, and Jacksonville Moms Blog and has also been featured several times in the Florida-Times Union. Jeanine has appeared on the iTunes podcasts, Revealing Healing, Be the Talk, Living Full Out, Voices for Change 2.0 and Speak to the Heart and has been a guest on First Coast Living, First Coast Connect, River City Live, The Chat andThe Conversation with Dr. Ali Kasraeian. In addition, Jeanine served as a panelist for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Recovery Summit (ROSC,) and has spoken at numerous corporations, organizations, colleges and high schools about suicide prevention, mental health, and gun violence. Her written work can be seen in The I’mPossible Project 2 and Stigma Fighters Anthology: Volume 

Jeanine is currently a therapist in an acute psychiatric inpatient facility working with suicidal adults and children, substance withdrawal, and psychosis, and holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University specializing in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, crisis intervention, and policy change. She also holds a Master of Advanced Studies in American Media and Culture, focusing on film and social media, and a Bachelor of Musicdegree in Music Theatre/Opera Performance both from Arizona State University. In addition, she serves on the board of the National Association of Social Workers – Northeast, FL Unit and as a committee co-chair for the American Association of Suicidology.