What Are Peer Recovery Support Services?

Peer recovery support services, delivered by peer recovery coaches, are a form of non-clinical support that combines the lived experience of recovery, the successes that come with it, and proper training and supervision to assist individuals wanting to initiate and maintain recovery.

What Do Peer Recovery Coaches Do?

Peer recovery coaches walk side by side with individuals seeking recovery from substance use disorders and provide different types of support to achieve long-term recovery and overall wellness. They also assist individuals to identify and increase their recovery capital through recovery planning, setting personal life goals, and regular self-evaluation of engagement.

Types of Support

emotional (empathy and concern)

informational (connections to information and referrals to community resources that support health and wellness)

instrumental (concrete supports such as housing or employment)

affiliational support (connections to recovery community supports, activities, and events)

Recovery Capital

SOCIAL capital: resources an individual has as a result of their support relationships (family, friends, obligations to programs and groups to which they belong)

PHYSICAL capital: tangible assets – home, job, money, all of which can increase recovery stability

HUMAN capital: skills, positive health, aspirations, hopes, and personal resources that will enable the individual to prosper

CULTURAL capital: values, beliefs, and attitudes that link to pro-social behaviors and the ability to be part of a community and a contributor to society

Our peer recovery coaches work in a range of settings, including USARA’s various recovery community centers, drug courts, and other criminal justice settings, hospital emergency departments, homeless shelters, and behavioral health and primary care settings.

In addition to providing the range of support encompassed in the peer recovery coach role, they take an active role in outreach and engagement within these settings.

Contact us to learn more or connect with a coach.