What is Peer Recovery Support?
Peer recovery support is a form of non-clinical guidance that is provided to individuals who are in treatment for substance use disorders. This support is rendered by trained individuals who are in recovery themselves and lend clients advice in initiating and maintaining recovery, enhancing the quality of personal and family life, and connecting them to resources to promote long-term recovery and build their sober community.
These services can be rendered alongside inpatient or outpatient clinical treatment, or after. However, when performed in conjunction with clinical treatment, these services can greatly improve the overall effectiveness of the treatment process.
What do Peer Recovery Staff do?
At Clear Behavioral Health, our recovery staff work with each client individually from the moment they walk through our doors in detox to the time they are discharged from outpatient treatment. The first thing they do is thoroughly assess a client and establish recovery goals to start building a customized recovery plan. This plan outlines triggers for substance use, the warning signs, as well as the tools and healthy habits to curb cravings and prevent relapse that will be acquired over the course of treatment.
While in the inpatient phase of treatment, the staff help out clients with paperwork (unemployment, medical leave, disability, legal) so they can dedicate their energy to treatment. Weekly meetings aim to help identify triggers, develop healthy and adaptive coping skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation skills, how to process emotions or triggering events and how they could have been handled differently or been avoided.
They also serve as points of contact with the client’s families, referring providers, and lawyers/probation officers, communicating updates on their progress and to coordinate after-care. Even after treatment is completed, they are there to help clients feel less isolated and help them connect with a new sober community as that can always be intimidating, especially in early recovery.
In summary, our recovery staff provide the following support for clients:
- Emotional (empathy and concern)
- Community Connections (referrals to community resources and events that support recovery, health, and wellness)
- Housing (guidance for finding living accomodations after treatment)
- Career (Coordinating with employers, and disability providers to ensure job placement after completion of the program)
Treatment Outcomes with Peer Support
There is mounting evidence that clients who receive peer recovery support from certified professionals show reductions in relapse rates, and improvements on a range or recovery outcomes such as:
- Satisfaction with personal relationships
- Improved relationship with treatment providers
- Increased treatment retention
- Increased satisfaction with the overall treatment experience
- Improved access to social supports
- Decreased emergency service utilization
- Reduced re-hospitalization rates
- Reduced substance use
- Greater housing stability
How to Start Dual-Diagnosis Treatment?
If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol or drug addiction and are looking for treatment, Clear Behavioral Health offers multiple levels of care from inpatient detox and residential programs, to outpatient PHP/IOP and alumni programs. Inpatient treatment is recommended for those who are actively using substances and need medical support to oversee the withdrawal process. Once detoxification is safely completed, outpatient PHP and IOP becomes appropriate. All of Clear’s dual-diagnosis staff is trained in delivering peer support for each client to ensures long lasting and sustainable recovery.
Call us today 877.799.1985 or contact us by filling out the form below to learn about our dual-diagnosis treatment options.
