Peer Support

This collection features resources to assist substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers, health care systems, and community organizations create and manage peer support programs. Peer support professionals are individuals with lived experience of addiction and recovery. Research shows that peer support services are beneficial to helping individuals engage in treatment and maintain recovery from addiction. This collection includes general information about peer support; toolkits for creating and managing peer support service programs; resources designed to help establish effective supervision policies for peer support specialists; and information about peer support for youth, families experiencing SUD who are also involved in the child welfare system, and peer support programs in justice settings.

General information about peer support:

  • A report defining peer recovery support services from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
  • A presentation slide deck that reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of peer support specialists providing mental health, substance use disorder, and family support from SAMHSA
  • A report describing the core competencies for peer services from SAMHSA
  • A link to SAMHSA’s webpage for peer support services
  • A 2-page patient guide to peer specialist services and a Spanish language version

Toolkits for implementing peer support services produced by:

Resources from SAMHSA to assist in establishing effective supervision policies for peer support service providers:

  • 2-page summary of SAMHSA’s supervision framework
  • Presentation slide set explaining SAMHSA’s supervision framework and the slide-deck with trainer notes
  • A self-assessment for supervisors of peer support specialists
  • A list of resources for the supervision of peer support specialists

Peer support in special populations including:

  • Youth
  • Families affected by substance use disorder with involvement in the child welfare system
  • Corrections systems including a report from SAMHSA and a brief overview of the New Mexico Peer Education Project where incarcerated individuals educate their peers about addiction, infectious diseases and other issues

If you have additional materials we should consider including in this collection, please see our call for submissions page.

 

 

Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

What Are Peer Recovery Support Services?

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

This report defines what a peer support specialist is and describes the many different roles they can play in the substance use disorder and recovery process. Research has shown that recovery is facilitated by social support, and peer support specialists, who have personal lived experience of addiction, are uniquely qualified to provide that support.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Value of Peers

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This presentation slide deck briefly reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of peer support specialists who provide mental health, substance use disorder, and family and caregiver support.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Core Competencies for Peer Workers in Behavioral Health Services

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This 7 page document describes the core competencies for peer workers in behavioral health services. It provides background information on peer services and recovery and defines 12 core competencies for peer support specialists:

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Peers

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s (SAMHSA) web page contains information about peer support services. Included are details about what role peer support providers play in substance use disorder and mental health treatment and recovery services as well as links to additional SAMHSA peer support resources.

External Website
Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Peer Support Toolkit

Source: City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, Achara Consulting, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health

This interactive toolkit is intended to support organizations that are hiring (or planning to hire) peers into new support roles. The toolkit discusses considerations for preparing the organizational culture for adding peer support services, recruiting and hiring peer staff, creating effective service delivery of peer support services, and supporting, supervising, and retaining peer staff.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Peer Integration and the Stages of Change Toolkit

Source: New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services

This toolkit contains extensive resources for providers who are interested in implementing peer support services, and for organizations that are in the process of implementing peer support services.

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Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Telerecovery Guide and SOP

Source: Unity Recovery

This guide from the Unity Recovery organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania provides detailed information on engaging in peer recovery supports through digital technology.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Peer Support Toolkit

Source: Southern Plains Tribal Health Board

The online toolkit for creating peer support programs for indigenous communities from the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board provides an overview of peer specialist services and describes the core roles and responsibilities peer specialists play in supporting treatment and recovery from substance use disorders in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

External Website
Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Supervision of Peer Workers Toolkit

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This 2-page summary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s framework for supervision of peer support specialists describes the elements of SAMHSA’s tool-kit for peer support supervision, provides links to materials and recorded webinars, and offers guidance on how the materials can be used for group training or self-directed study.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Supervision of Peer Workers – Presentation

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This presentation slide set details the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s framework for supervising peer support services.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Supervision of Peer Workers – Presentation with Trainer Notes

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This presentation slide set including trainer notes details the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s framework for supervising peer support services.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Supervisor of Peer Workers Self-Assessment Checklist

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This 1-page self-assessment for supervisors of peer support specialists is designed to help supervisors reflect on supervision practices and identify areas for additional training. Part of SAMHSA’s peer support supervision tool-kit.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Resources for the Supervision of Peer Workers

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This 1-page list details several valuable resources for the supervision of peer support specialists. Part of SAMHSA’s tool-kit for supervising peer support specialists.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Peers Supporting Recovery From Substance Use Disorders

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This 2-pager provides an overview of peer specialist services for individuals receiving substance use disorder treatment or recovery services. The document defines peer support for these populations, describes services offered by peer specialists, and explains the benefits of peer recovery support services.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

Peers Supporting Recovery From Substance Use Disorders – Spanish Language

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This 2-page Spanish language document provides an overview of peer specialist services for individuals receiving substance use disorder treatment or recovery services. The document defines peer support for these populations, describes services offered by peer specialists, and explains the benefits of peer recovery support services.

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Peer Support for Youth

Addressing substance use disorder (SUD) and the trauma that often precedes it in youth is a priority for treatment providers, parents, caregivers, and community leaders. Many leaders have found that youth have a special ability and role to play in helping their peers. In this collection, CLOUD provides resources that focus on youth providing peer support to other youth and young adults.

Featured Collection

Peer Support Services for Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorder

Evidence Ranking: Promising

Substance use disorder in families often leads to involvement in child welfare systems. Research shows that removal of a child from a family is traumatic for both the child and parents and can impede the parent’s journey to recovery. Many programs now employ family peer mentors or recovery specialists to work with the families on their treatment plan, connect parents and children to services and resources, and provide support as they go through a difficult process.

Featured Collection
Policymakers & Community Leaders

Peer Support Roles in Criminal Justice Settings

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

An overview of peer support services provided in the criminal justice setting from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Provides descriptions of the roles and responsibilities and key characteristics of different peer support roles, describes how to use the sequential intercept model to explore peer support roles in criminal justice settings, and presents best practices in recruiting, hiring and retaining peer support staff.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Spotlight: New Mexico Peer Education Project

Evidence Ranking: Potential

Source: Addiction Policy Forum

A brief overview of the New Mexico Peer Education Project which trains incarcerated individuals to educate their peers about addiction, infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus, and other health issues. This report is part of the Addiction Policy Forum’s spotlight series.

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