Peer Support
Peer and recovery support is a program designed to help people dealing with substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health challenges by drawing from the personal experience of peers who have lived with addiction and/or mental health issues. These peer specialists, who are in recovery and have become trained and certified by the PA certification board, work with recipients on their self-directed goals by giving guidance, empathy, help with skill-building, and encouragement. The relationship between the peer specialist and the peer is respectful, trusting, empathetic, collaborative, and mutual. Peer support complements traditional treatment methods by offering individuals a sense of belonging and understanding, as well as fostering hope and independence in their journey toward recovery.
How a certified peer specialist can help
- The peer specialist serves as an active member of the person’s recovery-oriented team, providing outreach and engagement between individuals and their supports
- Facilitates community integration and consistent use of natural resources
- Promotes the principles of individual choice and self-determination
- Uses a recovery-centered approach that focuses on the individual and not the diagnosis
- Responds appropriately to risk indicators to assure the person’s welfare and safety
- Establishes and maintains a ‘peer’ relationship, rather than one of provider and client
- Serves as a role model of a person in recovery
- Assures that individuals know their rights and responsibilities and maintains confidentiality
- Serves as a valuable link between the individual and the local recovery community
Who is eligible
Residents of Cambria County
Those who have a primary diagnosis of Substance Use Disorder that impairs daily life
