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This month, we are bringing you another episode filled with conversations with some of our organizational stakeholders. I had the privilege of talking with Chrystal Cantrell of Take Action Today, Dana Smith of New Life II, and Darrell Keim of Latah Recovery Community Center. Get ready to hear from some incredible people doing incredible things. And without further ado, let’s get talking!

This presentation is from our newest partners, One World Recovery Network, overviewing the work they'll be doing with us and with our network of peers in the recovery field.

Recovery from addiction happens in the community through interactions with people with lived experience. Single state agencies are the main, and often only, source of funding for recovery support services in many states. State and county agencies distribute funds designated for recovery support services. In a time on increasing need, those resources need to be used strategically and effectively. Using funds more strategically to build communities that are saturated with recovery-centered resources can achieve better recovery outcomes. To do so, organizations that are recovery-centered—that is, that center lived experience in policy and practice—need to be prioritized for funding.

This publication offers strategies for government agencies to build recovery-rich communities, using lived experience as the frame. The brief includes solutions that can be implemented over the short and long-term to maximize existing resources. The goal is to rapidly improve access to recovery support services at a time of rising demand and promote strategies that will have long-term, enduring impact.

Download PDF here or by clicking the image to the left.

This document was developed by our workforce development team in order to provide a brief overview of the role of a peer specialist. It is intended to serve as an introduction and summary to the role of a peer specialist for those who may be new and/or unfamiliar with the role.

In late 2022, Tim Saubers, who leads our workforce development team, hosted a 6-month Skill Development Series for Peer Recovery Support Specialists. The series was so well attended and in demand, that we also offered it in early 2023. In this podcast series, Tim sits down to have a conversation with each facilitator to have a deeper discussion with them about their presentation and what it means for the field.

In this third episode of the series, Tim speaks with Sera Davidow about developing skills as a professional. Sera is a filmmaker, activist, advocate, author, and mother of two very busy kids. As a survivor of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse as a child and relationship violence as an adult, Sera has faced many challenges throughout her own healing process, including many ups and downs with suicidal thoughts, and self-injury. At present, she spends much of her time working as Director of the Wildflower Alliance (formerly known as the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community), which includes Afiya Peer Respite, recently recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of about two dozen exemplary, rights-based programs operating across the world.

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.

In late 2022, Tim Saubers, who leads our workforce development team, hosted a 6-month Skill Development Series for Peer Recovery Support Specialists. The series was so well attended and in demand, that we also offered it in early 2023. In this podcast series, Tim sits down to have a conversation with each facilitator to have a deeper discussion with them about their presentation and what it means for the field.

In this second episode of the series, Tim talks with Nze Okoronta about supporting people navigating “crisis.” Nze is the Peer Services Manager for Solstice House, a peer-run respite and warmline operated by SOAR Case Management, a small nonprofit organization in Madison, WI with the mission of serving individuals who have experienced mental health and/or substance use challenges. Nze is passionate about peer support in Wisconsin and views peer support work as a fundamentally restorative practice. She believes peer work has the power to reduce and prevent systemic harm, support marginalized communities in a more complete way, and bring radical acceptance to the forefront of mental health and substance use care.

In late 2022, Tim Saubers, who leads our workforce development team, hosted a 6-month Skill Development Series for Peer Recovery Support Specialists. The series was so well attended and in demand, that we also offered it in early 2023. In this podcast series, Tim sits down to have a conversation with each facilitator to have a deeper discussion with them about their presentation and what it means for the field.

In this first episode of the series, I talk with Tim about his presentation on ethics within the provision of peer recovery support services. In addition to leading our workforce development team, Tim is a person with lived experience with both mental health and substance use challenges who got his start as a Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist in 2016, and has worked in direct support and supervisory roles. Tim has no formal education beyond his high school diploma and Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist Certification. He believes strongly in the value of his lived experiences and learned skills, and advocates for greater recognition and compensation of those without higher education across the field of behavioral health.

In 2023, our RCO capacity building team hosted a learning series on nonprofit basics. The series aimed to:

• Offer practical skills and foundational elements needed to run, operate, and grow a healthy nonprofit organization
• Educate nonprofit leaders on the importance and elements of building proper infrastructure
• Build community and share resources among RCO, RCC, and peer-run nonprofit leaders

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the importance of effective budgeting
• Discuss various ways nonprofits cover administrative expenses
• Explore tips in budgeting quickly and easily
• Apply learning in creating a sample budget

You will find the recordings of the 2-part session below. You can download the slides and handouts by clicking the image to the left.

Part 1 Recording

Part 2 Recording

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

Unable to visit us at a conference? Check out our virtual exhibit booth! This platform creates an interactive experience as you explore all of our resources, products, and other offerings.

In summer of 2022, the PR CoE and National Family Support Technical Assistance Center came together to create an animation that takes a look at the roles of peer recovery specialists and family peer specialists. In this video, each role is defined as well as a discussion on their similarities and differences.

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