Resource Library

In late 2021, Lieutenant Commander Traci Murray, SAMHSA’s Assistant Regional Administrator for the HHS Region VI office in Dallas, recognized behavioral health leaders were interested in learning more about how to incorporate peers into court systems. LCDR Murray connected with Patti Tobias, a Principal Court Management Consultant for the National Center for State Courts, who saw similar interest among state court partners. Together, they initiated a partnership with subject matter experts to create brief resource guides to inform behavioral health and state court leaders about Peer Specialists working in court settings. Project partners include Roxanne Castaneda MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, Public Health Advisor at SAMHSA, Chan Noether, MA, Director of SAMHSA’s GAINS Center, and SAMHSA’s Peer Recovery Center of Excellence represented by Patricia (Pat) Stilen, MSW, Program Director; Shannon Roberts, MPH, Sr. Program Manager; and Haner Hernandez, Ph.D., CPS, CADCII, LADCI, Steering Committee Member.

This brief serves as an introduction to the concept of peer support, the impact of peer recovery support services, peer certification, and integrating peer support services into your organization.

In late 2021, Lieutenant Commander Traci Murray, SAMHSA’s Assistant Regional Administrator for the HHS Region VI office in Dallas, recognized behavioral health leaders were interested in learning more about how to incorporate peers into court systems. LCDR Murray connected with Patti Tobias, a Principal Court Management Consultant for the National Center for State Courts, who saw similar interest among state court partners. Together, they initiated a partnership with subject matter experts to create brief resource guides to inform behavioral health and state court leaders about Peer Specialists working in court settings. Project partners include Roxanne Castaneda MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, Public Health Advisor at SAMHSA, Chan Noether, MA, Director of SAMHSA’s GAINS Center, and SAMHSA’s Peer Recovery Center of Excellence represented by Patricia (Pat) Stilen, MSW, Program Director; Shannon Roberts, MPH, Sr. Program Manager; and Haner Hernandez, Ph.D., CPS, CADCII, LADCI, Steering Committee Member.

This Court Leadership Brief describes different types of peers in court settings, the roles peers plain in court, lessons from the field with examples of peers in the courts, and links to additional resources.

On March 1, 2022, President Biden announced his administration’s strategy to address our nation’s mental health crisis as outlined in the 2022 Presidential Unity Agenda. This national mental health strategy seeks to strengthen system capacity, connect more Americans to care, and create a continuum of support–transforming our health and social services infrastructure to address mental health holistically and equitably.

A primary goal outlined within this strategy is accelerating the universal adoption, recognition, and integration of the peer mental health workforce across all elements of the healthcare system. This included the development and implementation of a national certification program for mental health peer specialists.

To meet this goal, SAMHSA collaborated with federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local partners including peer specialists to develop the National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification, inclusive of substance use, mental health, and family peer certifications. These National Model Standards closely align with the needs of the behavioral health (peer) workforce, and subsequently, the over-arching goal of the national mental health strategy.

SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery and Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy have collaborated to create a website dedicated to sharing Tribal Recovery news, events, and resources.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is pleased to announce the release of the agency’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan which emphasizes a more person-centered approach and introduces a new mission and vision, key priorities and guiding principles. The key priorities are:

• Preventing Substance Use and Overdose
• Enhancing Access to Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Services
• Promoting Resilience and Emotional Health for Children, Youth and Families
• Integrating Behavioral and Physical Health Care
• Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce

The Strategic Plan includes strategic goals and affiliated objectives associated with each key priority. It also integrates four guiding principles (equity, trauma-informed approaches, recovery, and a commitment to data and evidence) across all policies and programs to support SAMHSA in achieving its mission and vision.

This plan not only represents SAMHSA’s thinking as an agency, but also reflects the insightful feedback we have received from our many stakeholders. We hope it informs and guides your planning as you work to develop and implement programs and policies that ensure people living with, affected by, or at risk for mental health and substance use conditions receive care, achieve wellbeing, and thrive.

In the fall of 2013, Hancock County ADAMHS, launched a system analysis for improvement and transformation of its behavioral health services. This analysis included an exploration of the relevance of establishing a Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC) model for the community. During this process, a full assessment of Hancock County’s existing mental health and substance use disorder treatment service continuum was conducted which included identification of service gaps; recommendations to increase and expand services; aligning systems, programs, practices, and policies in such a manner that uses best science; and unifying a vision of recovery as an opportunity for each person, family, and the community. This process was guided by the following two principles: 1. ROSC provides ongoing monitoring and feedback with assertive outreach efforts to promote continual participation, re-motivation, and reengagement. 2. ROSC will be guided by recovery-based processes and outcome measures. Outcome measures will be developed in collaboration with individuals in recovery. Outcome measures will reflect the long-term global effects of the recovery process on the individual, family and community, not just the remission of biomedical symptoms. Outcomes will be measurable and include benchmarks of quality-of-life changes.