Resource Library

The following link/resource describes clinical, non-clinical, and self-management pathways.

This Guide is designed as a study aid to help prepare for and pass the Rhode Island Peer Recovery Specialist Certification Exam. The content of the Guide is based on the knowledge, skills and job tasks derived from the 2013 Peer Recovery Job Analysis conducted by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), which sets standards and develops examinations for the credentialing of prevention, substance use treatment, and recovery professionals. The Guide was developed by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., in consultation with BHDDH, subject matter experts in the behavioral health field, and input from peer recovery specialists who have taken the certification exam, or are working in recovery settings in Rhode Island.

The authors of this article delve into the science behind what makes people care. They’ve identified five principles that are supported by research from a range of academic disciplines. Collectively, these rules offer a framework for building and assessing your communication strategy and designing efforts more likely to result in belief and behavior change.

Indiana University-Purdue University Inidanapolis' Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health published this brief in order to illustrate a PRC's essential role in combatting the opioid epidemic in Indiana. Key points include the expectation that expanded use of PRC's will result in higher treatment access and engagement, and, thus, lower rates of opioid-related mortality. Additionally, several barriers need to be addressed before successful integration of PRC's into a work setting can be achieved.

This TIP supports learning about the key aspects, functions, and uses of Peer Support Services (PSS) in recovery from problematic substance use, which will help providers, supervisors, and administrators in SUD treatment programs better understand and respond to these changes.

This toolkit serves as a resource and guide for behavioral health agencies adopting a tobacco-free wellness policy for their facilities and campuses. It provides information on tobacco use among the behavioral health population, as well as a step-by-step guide to becoming a tobacco-free facility and treating tobacco use in clients and staff. It also suggests ways of incorporating a larger program of wellness that not only supports smoking cessation, but improves overall the mental, emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of one’s life.

This toolkit was created by the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco in May 2022.

Being given choices of institutions, levels of care, treatment goals/methods, service personnel, and service duration has historically not been part of the personal experience of addiction treatment in the United States. This article describes why addiction treatment professionals have been reticent to offer choices to their alcohol and drug dependent clients and why that philosophy is now undergoing reevaluation.

The JEAP Initiative is a project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that aims to advance research on recovery support services, especially for young adults and adults with criminal legal system involvement. They created this tipsheet that answers the question, "How can an individual with lived experience (in recovery and/or with the criminal legal system) successfully transition into a professional role?" Within the document are 6 key components of successfully transitioning into a professional role.

CDC’s new MMWR used data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) applied to a “cascade of care” framework to estimate and characterize U.S. adult populations who need OUD treatment, receive any OUD treatment, and receive medications for OUD. This report is their findings.

Screening tool for current alcohol or drug problem.

The body of work of peer support programs targeting youth is heavily focused on mental health models involving young adult peer mentors. In Connecticut, for example, some work has taken place involving youth 18-25 with mental illness and/or substance use disorder issues where peers provide support and hope to other young adults with these conditions. In 2017, SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health noted a rise in the lifetime illicit drug use among Latino-Hispanic youth 12-17 and 18-25 from the previous year (2016). For 12 to 17-year old’s the percentage rose from 23.2 percent of youth in 2016 to 24.6 percent of all Latino-Hispanic youth in 2017. Similarly, for 18 to 25-year old’s, the percentage of lifetime used of illicit drugs rose from 51.1 percent in 2016 to 54.7 percent in 2017. It is therefore important to explore the options of addressing these rising rates through peer support models targeting Latino-Hispanic youth and young adults.

The addiction profession has a strong foundation of peer involvement. In fact, the earliest addiction professionals were the first peer recovery coaches informed by Alcoholics Anonymous. However, recent shifts within the workforce has led to some discomfort and questions about where the newly arising peer recovery coaches will fit into the overall services of the addiction treatment and recovery spectrum. This webinar will provide a comparison between a modern addiction counselor and peer recovery coach in regards to current roles, scope of peer practice, leadership development, ethical considerations and supervision needs. The presenter will also discuss different models of peer recovery supports, including details about how they are delivered, by whom, where, and reimbursement.