
Arianna Mellinger
Arianna Mellinger works for a local mental health authority and provides peer support services for The Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT). She has experienced indirect impact by the criminal judicial system with both parents having been incarcerated at separate times, and later being directly impacted herself, spending time incarcerated in the federal system. She uses her lived experience to connect with youth and adults as they struggle with barriers such as mental health concerns and chemical dependency struggles. Arianna recently graduated from Houston Community College with a certification as a Chemical Dependency Counselor, and she is working towards her bachelor’s in social work. She also holds a Justice Involved Peer Support Specialist Certification, a Recovery Peer Support Specialist, and LCDC-CI. Arianna is passionate about the intersection of youth and the carceral system and different alternatives to incarceration.