Recovery Coaching Training, Credentialing or Certification

The information from this 2013 blog has been updated. Please go to : https://www.mkrecoverycoaching.com/2015/09/03/what-is-the-difference-between-a-recovery-coach-a-peer-recovery-support-specialist-and-a-professional-recovery-coach/   to read more up to date information.

Coach Credentialing or Certification Training

Coach credentialing or certification training is one of the fastest growing aspects of the coaching field. In 2000, Georgia became the first state to establish a certified peer recovery support specialist as a para-professional role in its mental health workforce. In 2002, Arizona quickly followed, adding certification for coaching individuals in recovery from substance use as well as certifying recovery coaches for individuals with mental health disorders. Since then a majority of states have established peer recovery support specialist roles, as well as systems for certification.

More recently, many states have merged their mental health and addiction services departments because of fiscal belt-tightening. As a result of these departmental merges, state officials have seen the advantages of mental health recovery coaching and the use of recovery coaching for individuals in treatment for recovery from addiction. Illinois, North Carolina, New Hampshire Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas have recovery coaching credentialing in each state’s certification boards. In 2013, the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) developed a peer mentoring credential. The application for the peer mentor certification are on the IC&RC web site. Many agencies and treatment centers accept the IC&RC credentials when they are hiring recovery coaches. As of May 2008, 30 state credentialing boards had developed criteria for the training and deployment of recovery coaches and peer specialists.

It is important to note that to be a “credentialed recovery coach” one must contact their state’s certification board, or licensing entity that certifies drug and alcohol counselors, apply for recovery coaching credentialing and follow the guidelines set forth by these state boards. Recovery coaching training is only Step One in the recovery coaching credentialing process. Step Two is contacting your state’s certification board, and applying for certificate (a fee will be involved) and then Step Three will be following the guidelines set forth by the state’s credentialing board. At no time does taking a recovery coaching course give you immediate recovery coaching certification. It gives you a diploma.

There are many training organizations that offer prospective recovery coaches the information necessary to pass the state’s certification guidelines. I have mentioned in my book, Recovery Coaching, A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addiction certification training organizations, and feature a complete list of all of these organizations. For this blog, I will mention a few.

The Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, ( http://www.ccar.us/ ) a division of the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership in New Haven, CT features the Recovery Coach Academy which offers recovery coach training in the states of Connecticut, Texas, Vermont, Georgia, New Hampshire and the list is constantly growing. CCAR presents a five-day, 46-hour course on recovery coaching.

OASAS, the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (http://www.oasas.ny.gov) also offers a CCAR based training for recovery coaches. Several recovery coach training courses are offered at various New York State locations; for more information visit their website.

PRO-ACT, Pennsylvania Recovery Organization-Achieving Community Together, in Southeastern Pennsylvania offers recovery coaching training several times a year at their Philadelphia Recovery Community Center. The training entails a five-day program, approximately 52 hours with a certification exam. In 2013, this training will be the same training that is required by the IC&RC, for a peer mentor certificate. Like CCAR, PRO-ACT can facilitate recovery coach training for any organization or location. Visit the PRO-ACT web site for more information for recovery coaching training: www.councilsepa.org/programs/pro-act.

In New Jersey, free recovery coach training which satisfies all of the education and training requirements for the NJ Certified Recovery Support Practitioner (CRSP) credential, as well as some credits for a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor and nearly all of the Certified Co-occurring Disorder Professional (CCDP) required credits is available in Toms River, Paterson, Union and Voorhees NJ. The training is offered by the Mental Health Association of NJ, through Consumer Connections, a division of MHANJ. The training is called the CORE training and also offers a relapse prevention plan (WRAP ©) training. An application is available by going to the MHANJ web site at: http://www.mhanj.org/consumer-connections-2/consumer-connections-core-training/ or by contacting Ray Cortese at rcortese@mhanj.org.

In Ft. Worth, Texas, the PARfessionals organization, a division of the SJM Family Foundation, Inc. has virtual recovery coaching training as well as peer recovery coaching training for individuals in the prison system. The contact for both trainings is: www.parfessionals.org or at this email address: parfessionals@gmail.com.

In the next post, you will find for-profit training organizations, other recovery models and clinical practices.