BSAS Recovery Support Trainings

This training offers participants an introduction to the medical model of addiction, including the effects of addiction on the body and brain, as well as basic pharmacology and treatment. Designed for the Recovery Coach professional, this workshop honors the power of personal recovery and self-definition. Through a series of interactive exercises, participants are challenged to consider their own definitions, experiences, biases, and assumptions of addiction.

This workshop provides participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the advocate role, providing unique distinctions between advocacy, on behalf of and to empower Recoverees, and Advocacy, on behalf of Recovery and Community. This training offers participants practical skill building and refinement to support the vital role of effective Advocate, as a primary function of peer recovery support professionals within an expanding Recovery Oriented System of Care.  

This course is open to all, and is a prerequisite for the Supervision of Recovery Coaches and other Peer Workers training.

This training is designed to familiarize participants with the concept, composition, systemic connections, and contributions of a culturally responsive Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC). Participants will be introduced to the principles and practices of ROSC, Non-Clinical Recovery Support, Multiple Pathways, and the roles of Recovery Coaches and other Peer Workers.  Participants will be provided with a background of the national Modern Recovery Movement and a current look at the steps Massachusetts has taken to foster and support ROSC.

This workshop offers Recovery Coaches and other peer professionals the opportunity to explore – theoretically and practically – the basic tenets, competencies, tools and skills necessary to build and maintain an effective coaching relationship. Opportunities to experience the coaching process throughout the workshop are designed to help the peer professional inspire and support growth in those they serve.

This training reviews the fundamental concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion and is designed for Recovery Coaches and Peer Workers providing support to culturally diverse individuals, organizations, and communities.  Participants will explore concepts relating to bias, discrimination and institutionalized oppression and will learn appropriate language, techniques, and strategies for culturally competent engagement. This training includes didactic and interactive exercises, as well as opportunities for self-reflection, designed to engage participants and elicit input.

This intensive training for Recovery Coaches provides participants with an in-depth overview of the ethical considerations specific to the peer model of recovery coaching. Through didactic presentations, small and large group discussions, and case studies, participants will develop an understanding of the impact of ethical decision making, the core values of recovery, and the code of ethics to which recovery coaches are beholden. It is highly recommended that all Recovery Coaches attend this Ethical Considerations Training and it is required for CARC.

This CARC Re-certification workshop offers participants with coaching experience unique opportunities to explore and define what ethical practice means within the context of their work, as well as within their varied work environments. This one-day workshop includes a discussion of the history, classic expressions and impact of ethics and a hands-on exploration of recovery-specific ethical challenges, conflicts and opportunities for ethical practice when working as a Recovery Coach. Participants engage in facilitated exercises for practice of new skills, self-awareness, confidentiality, ethical decision-making, and boundary management, as well as self-assessment and professional next steps. 

Recovery Coaches and Peer Workers support multiple pathways of recovery and personal choice. The opportunity for those seeking recovery to craft a sustainable pathway with medication assistance can be enhanced with the support of peer professionals. This training provides the history, concepts, and varieties of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) available, as well as an opportunity for participants to explore perspective, biases and actions, to ensure awareness and support of all recovery pathways that include a medication component. 

This training is designed to prepare and assist Recovery Coaches and other Peer Workers providing support to individuals in addiction recovery living with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health challenges. Participants will identify the pre-engagement and engagement skills necessary to effectively connect; recognize common signs that indicate someone is struggling to maintain wellness and monitor their own fears and misconceptions around mental wellness. Participants will explore person centered, recovery focused, trauma informed methods and strategies to support recoverees experiencing mental health and substance use challenges. Note: 3 Credit Hours for CARC, possibly other different hours for other requirements.

This training for Recovery Coaches and other Peer Workers offers participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding, practice and proficiency with Motivational Interviewing (MI), a highly regarded evidence-based practice. Participants will practice MI skills and OARS strategies, adapted for non-clinical use in peer recovery support, to encourage, facilitate and support behavior change. 

This workshop provides a hands-on introduction and overview of numerous pathways of recovery, including their history, organizing structure, rituals, and other defining characteristics. Participants will explore various pathways of recovery that currently exist, factors (cultural, socio-economic, etc.) individuals consider when choosing a pathway that meets their needs, and the tasks required to initiate and support any new recovery pathway (including one they champion) in their community.

Recovery Capital has proven to be one of the most effective means by which individuals achieve recovery maintenance, and is an excellent tool for ongoing measurement of recovery quality and success. This workshop offers Recovery Coaches and other peer professionals the opportunity to enrich and deepen their conceptual and practical understanding of Recovery Capital, including common domains, wellness planning and parameters within a Recovery Oriented Systems of Care framework.  Participants will explore and practice skill sets that help them to support recoverees to identify, grow, leverage, and apply their unique resources in support of sustainable wellness. 

The Recovery Coach Academy (RCA) is a 5-day intensive training that provides individuals with the skills needed to guide, mentor and support anyone who would like to enter into or sustain long-term recovery from an addiction to alcohol or other drugs. This training is a fundamental component of providing quality, evidence-based peer recovery support designed for those interested in becoming Recovery Coaches, Peer Workers and those providing or overseeing Recovery Support Services. The RCA is a requirement for anyone interested in obtaining a CARC (Certified Addictions Recovery Coach). 

For more information on RCA or Peer Recovery Coaching click here.

Peer Support Workers & Recovery Coaches are tasked with helping others maintain a strengths-based, self-directed pathway of long-term, sustainable wellness. In the service of this work, peer workers often neglect their own needs. In this workshop, participants will explore the effects of work and life stress on one’s mind, body and spirit. This includes the impact of addiction, recovery and providing peer recovery support on individual self-care. The workshop will also address practical strategies for managing daily demands, stress release and developing a personal Self-care plan and practice.

Recovery Coaches and Other Peer Workers are being employed throughout the state in a variety of systems based on the value of lived experience and proven effectiveness in helping people in recovery build lives of wellness. These environments may or may not have fully integrated recovery principles or values, but effective supervision of this growing peer workforce provides a meaningful point of engagement for this ongoing process to ensure quality peer recovery support service. This non-clinical training model was developed by people in recovery, recovery coaches, and people with experience supervising peers in various recovery support service environments. The training is designed to orient supervisors to the skills, tasks, practices & processes needed for effective supervision of people working in non-clinical peer capacities. This online training requires a minimum of two hours pre-work.