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In 2021, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing conducted a literature review (Peer Recovery Support: Evolving Roles and Settings, a Literature Review) to synthesize the current evidence related to the continued evolution of PRSS and the broader integration of peers into increasingly diversified community settings as well as to identify persisting gaps in the research. Since 2021, further research has been conducted on these topics with new and highly relevant themes, directions, and outcomes. In an effort to continue to highlight emerging literature and best practices in the field, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing has developed this document as an update to the previous Literature Review.

The Peer Recovery Center of Excellence is excited to share this series of explainer videos on topics that are foundational to the recovery community; Recovery Community Organizations, Peer Support, Recovery Capital, and Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care. These concepts are familiar to the recovery community, but difficult to convey to the general, broader population in a succinct way. We are grateful to the PR CoE steering committee and peers partners for their input and support in the development of this series.

We hope that you use these videos to communicate core elements of your services, messaging, and marketing. They are a free resource, and do not require permission to use them; embed them in a presentation, in your newsletter, on your website, on your social media or email them directly to your audience. Our hope is to create dialogue on all these very important elements of the recovery community.

1. What is Peer Support?
2. What is a Recovery Community Organization?
3. What is Recovery Capital?
4. What is a Recovery-Oriented System of Care?

Haga clic aquí para videos explicativos en español

The Peer Recovery CoE is pleased to share an updated version of our Comparative Analysis of State Requirements for Peer Support Specialist Training and Certification in the United States. In recent decades, there has been increased recognition of the value of peer recovery support services in the behavioral health field. As recognition and evidence for best practices continue to emerge, each state is continually updating its training and certification requirements to improve the quality and practices of peer support in their communities. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of state peer recovery trainings and certifications as well as provide recommendations to better support those individuals seeking information about the peer support specialist certification application process. The information in this report reflects the current status of state approved training and certification for behavioral health peer support specialists in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas and Puerto Rico, as of January 2, 2023.

This month, Kris Kelly, who leads our RCO capacity building team here at the PR CoE, hosts a conversation with Durga Leela, founder of Yoga of Recovery. In this episode, you’ll get to hear about Durga’s recovery journey embracing Ayurveda and how one of the oldest traditional systems of medicine helps her live a life of abundance.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

• Yoga of Recovery Website
• Yoga of Recovery Events
• Durga's Book
• Bayan Botanitcals
• Durga's Email: durga@yogaofrecovery.com

This month, our host spoke with Theresa M. Knorr of Friends of Recovery-New York about their upcoming 7^th annual recovery conference. This year's theme is 'When We All Recovery: Holistic Recovery For Individuals, Families and Communities' and will feature a wide variety of workshops and keynote speeches designed to provide a holistic view of recovery. Find out more, including registration information, online at: https://for-ny.org/2022-nys-recovery-conference/.

The Peer Recovery CoE is pleased to share Building and Strengthening the Capacity of Recovery Community Organizations: Results of a Needs Assessment Across U.S. RCOs. The purpose of this multi-modal needs assessment of RCOs within the 10 HHS regions was to determine strengths and challenges across RCO setting types in order to guide the future endeavors of the PR CoE, specifically through the provision of learning collaboratives and technical assistance. Through the utilization of digital surveys, regional stakeholder interviews and regional listening sessions, we were able to identify gaps in services and RCO resources, as well as an informed prioritization of future trainings and assistance offerings. This information will not only serve as guidance for the PR CoE, but is also available for those serving in any capacity with an RCO who might be seeking direction in allocating resources, financial or otherwise. We know that recovery is possible. And this hope inspires us to believe in the power of the collective. Together, we can work toward building and strengthening the capacity of Recovery Community Organizations.

In this episode, our host spoke with Tim Saubers and Haner Hernandez, both PR CoE team members. Tim and Haner discussed their experiences with cultural identity and how that affected their recovery and healing journeys.

This month, we spoke with Kim Gannon and Emily Pasman, authors of a recent article in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment entitled, "Knowing or not knowing: Living as harm reductionists in Twelve Step Recovery." With us, they shared their experiences navigating recovery through Twelve Step programs, their embrace of harm reduction values, their professional research, and the ongoing journey of reconciling these concepts and experiences for themselves.

Click here to read the article.

In late 2021 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence (PR CoE) with supplemental funding for a special project to identify and recommend best practices and strategies to optimize funding for high-quality and effective recovery support services. The PR CoE's two-pronged approach for this project involved an assessment of the opportunities and barriers experienced by organizations in the ecosystem of recovery in accessing government funding as well as a deep-dive analysis of how states are administering funds to support recovery services. Both parts of the project were conducted in collaboration with a panel of subject matter experts, which included former government officials, policymakers, recovery community leaders, and many individuals with lived experience in recovery.

Volume 1 of this report reviews the methods, findings, and recommendations from a national assessment of the challenges and successes experienced by organizations in the ecosystem of recovery in securing sustainable funding.

Volume 2 of this report reviews the methods, findings, and recommendations from the analysis of how states allocate funding to organizations for recovery support services (RSS).

To find out more about this project, visit our Optimizing Recovery Funding page.

In this episode, our host spoke with Brandy Anderson-Willis of Indiana Association of Peer Recovery Support Services, Bailey Helgeson of the Roanoke Valley Collective Response, and Mike Durschlag of the Association of Recovery Schools. Tune in now to hear stories and anecdotes from the field!

This month, we are throwing it back to an episode we published last fall. Our host talked with Kris Kelly, Nell Hurley, and Marin Nelson about their experiences creating and supporting recovery friendly workplaces. We'll be back at the top of the new year with a brand new episode.