Welcome to the Peers in Recovery Mentorship Training Program, a training program created from the Children’s Mental Health System of Care (SOC) sustainability project in partnership with Central Florida Behavioral Health Network (CFBHN), Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services (PEMHS) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Pinellas. This training program prepares individuals to be proficient in all Florida Certification Board peer specialist core competencies through a combination of in-person learning and volunteer experiences.

What is the Peers in Recovery Training Program?

This program was created to enhance the recovery of individuals in treatment by linking them with individuals who have similar life experiences and have been in recovery for a minimum of 2 years. These individuals in recovery, known as Peers, will be able to establish connections, offer encouragement, empower, and inspire hope in individuals in treatment as experts in recovery with the enhanced knowledge and skill set provided through the ongoing coaching and training of this program. For the purpose of this program, a Peer’s lived experience may include mental illness, substance use disorders, or addiction, or they may be a family member of someone who experiences the same challenges. 

The Process

The mentorship process supports the various phases of recovery beginning from the first steps of engagement and connection to treatment, to the phase of professional development for the Peer Mentor. Additionally, the Peer Mentor will develop skills to facilitate groups, offer individual support, learn to effectively tell their story, connect to community resources, advocate for individual treatment, as well as learn about specific agency standards, professional boundaries, cultural competency, and more, using the Florida Certification Board (FCB) credentialing process as a platform.

As the Peer pursues the required training to participate in the Peers In Recovery Mentorship Program, they will be offered additional support from a Peer Specialist at NAMI Pinellas County FL (NPC). The NPC Peer Specialist will assist the Peer by reviewing a checklist of the documents required to apply for provisional certification as a Recovery Peer Specialist through the FCB. 

Expectations for Peers in the Program

1. Maintain open communication with the NAMI Peer Specialist and/or Mentor Coach
2. Pursue and complete FCB-required training and certification process
3. Complete all necessary paperwork and commit to the process
4. Meet regularly with a Peer Supervisor and/or Mentor Coach
5. Inform mentors and supervisors of the successes and challenges encountered during the program.
6. Maintain healthy and professional boundaries with staff and clients alike
7. Practice a personal wellness plan, ensuring individual health and wellness is a priority
8. Practice personal responsibility and self-advocate for individual needs
9. Role model recovery, self-care, and professionalism
10. Maintain an open mind and open heart, with an enthusiasm to learn and help others

How to apply?

If you are a person with lived experience and have been in recovery for 2 years, you can apply to the Peers in Recovery Mentorship Program by clicking on the link below:

 
Our 2024 Peer Training Schedule

 C10 (Polk, Hardee, Highland) – December and February 

C13 (Hillsborough) – February and May 

C12 (Sarasota, Manatee, De Soto) – March, April, and June 

C6 (Pasco) – March and April 

 C20 (Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Hendry Glades) – March, April and June

For more information or questions, contact Armour Savage, Peer Training Program Specialist

 

Thank you to our generous supporters