Recovery Coaching a Harm Reduction Pathway© ​

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INFORMATION

Tens of thousands of people are trained as peer recovery coaches; many now work in a rapidly growing and changing Peer Recovery Support Services field across a wide variety of service settings. Several of the key tenets in peer recovery coaching are: ‘Meet people where they are at’; ‘You are in recovery when you say you are’; and ‘There are many pathways to recovery’. Still, harm reduction as a pathway to and of recovery from addiction remains widely misunderstood. Abstinence-based pathways have for decades dominated the helping services of addiction recovery. Recovery coaches may struggle with coaching a harm reduction pathway for many reasons, including Lack of understanding about harm reduction; personal, institutional, and cultural bias; and/or lack of exposure to people achieving recovery outcomes through harm-reduction-based means.

Recovery Coaching a Harm Reduction Pathway© comes just in time for a new phase in recovery coaching development alongside a swelling harm reduction movement across North America. A handful of leaders in both the peer recovery supports and harm reduction movements collaborated to bring this curriculum to its current form. RCHRP utilizes adult learning theory concepts and modalities to address knowledge, attitudes, practices, access to resources, and coaching skills. As this training explores sensitive topics, its design and delivery are highly trauma-informed. Each class becomes a safe place for self-examination and practice from the outset.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will be able to...

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• Define harm reduction as a practice and as a social movement
• Examine one’s beliefs and values around a harm reduction pathway of recovery
• Compare and contrast principles of harm reduction and recovery coaching
• Define and locate opportunities for improving a Recovery-Oriented System of Care that serves People Who Use Drugs
• Discuss advocacy and practices around social justice issues as part of harm reduction
• Practice newly acquired knowledge and skills supporting a harm reduction pathway of recovery
• Develop a personal action plan for further development of harm reduction recovery coaching skills

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PREREQUISITES

Completion of a recognized 30-46-hour recovery coaching fundamentals training, such as CCAR Recovery Coach Academy, is strongly suggested.

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WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS TRAINING?

Active or prospective peer specialists; Recovery Community Organization personnel; recovery housing service providers; substance use disorder treatment providers; medical and psychiatric services providers; peers and family members in recovery.