Recovery
In August 2010, a group of leaders in the behavioral health field, including people in recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders, met with the national agency called the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The team worked together to develop a working definition of recovery that would apply to both mental health and substance use populations. The team developed the following definition for recovery:
- Recovery: A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.
The team identified four dimensions that support recovery:
- Health
- Home
- Purpose
- Community
The team also identified 10 Principles of Recovery:
- Recovery emerges from hope.
- Recovery is person-driven.
- Recovery occurs via many pathways.
- Recovery is holistic.
- Recovery is supported by peers and allies.
- Recovery is supported through relationship and social networks.
- Recovery is culturally-based and influenced.
- Recovery is supported by addressing trauma.
- Recovery involves individual, family, and community strengths, and responsibility.
- Recovery is based on respect.
Peer Support
The Peer Specialist Service is a structured and scheduled therapeutic activity with an individual client or group, provided by a trained, self-identified consumer of behavioral health services. A Peer Support Specialist guides clients toward the identification and achievement of specific goals defined by the client and specified in the Treatment Plan.
How to Become a Peer Support Specialist
To become qualified, a Peer Support Specialist completes 30 hours of training and passes both a written and oral test. The job of a Peer Support Specailist is not to replace current clinical behavioral health staff, but to offer additional and/or alternative options to help people in their efforts to recover.
How to Become a Trainer for Peer Support Curricula
The Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) supports consumer-driven recovery-oriented services. DBHDID approves training curricula for providers that request to become trainers for the Peer Support Specialist types listed above. For more information on how to become a trainer, visit our webpage on the Peer Support Specialist Curriculum Approval Process.
Regular supervision is required and each qualified Peer Support Specialist must earn at least 6 hours of continuing education each year. To locate a training event in Kentucky, access the following links by the type of Peer Support Specialist: