Peer Engagement and Recovery Support Services became available through CVFC in the fall of 2017. This innovative program is supported through a grant received from NYS OASAS. Staff in this program are charged with providing unique and individualized service to participants in the community and assisting them with their advocacy needs, connection to treatment services, connection to primary health care, and support the participants in attaining their service plan goals. The Mission of the Peer Engagement Services Program available through CVFC is to help individuals live self-directed lives, support their striving to reach their full potential, provide support engaging in a recovery process, and help the individual improve their health and wellness.
A Recovery Coach is someone with personal experience and knowledge in recovery, who assists others seeking to initiate, or sustain long-term recovery. Recovery Coaches work in a peer to peer capacity, rather than a professional-to-client capacity. They empower their peers by helping them identify and remove barriers to recovery. Coaches connect their peers to resources and organizations that help foster and sustain long-term recovery. CVFC provides several sessions of Recovery Coach training throughout the year.
Recovery Coach Academy is a training course that is part of an effort to create a recovery-oriented system of care where peer-based recovery support is used as a fundamental part of community-based services and will enhance the treatment and recovery experience.
This training provides an understanding of:
· Ethics & boundaries for Peer Recovery Specialists
· Cultural Competency
· Active Listening Skills
· Local recovery Resources
· Motivational interviewing techniques
Recovery Coach Ethics is the second training course. Recovery Coaches need an understanding of ethics that differs from those of clinicians due to their unique role while guiding someone through their own recovery process.
This training provides an understanding of:
· What ethics are & why they are so important
· How to “stay in your lane” as a recovery coach
· The decision making process
· How to develop guidelines
A Peer Engagement Team member is someone with lived experience with substance use who uses their experiential knowledge to support an individual’s recovery goals
Denis King obtained his Associates degree from Johnson and Wales University and has been working at CVFC since 2013. Since his employment, Denis has earned his Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC), Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA), and Credential Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor-Trainee (CASAC-T). Denis is a trainer for Peer Engagement and Recovery Services in the areas of: Recovery Coach Academy, Ethics in Recovery Coaching, Recovery Coaching in the E.D., SOAR, Peer Supervision, Recovery Basics for Parents, and Professionalism and Recovery Coaching. Denis supervises the Peer Engagement and Recovery Services available through CVFC.
