Being a Trauma Informed Peer Support Specialist
Information
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Describe where the peer support specialist might intersect with trauma.
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Identify 3 or more experiences or events that might bring about traumatic reactions.
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Develop a personalized approach to recognizing and addressing trauma and secondary trauma.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of this workshop is to increase knowledge about trauma and how to be a trauma- informed peer support specialist.
Description
Peer Support is a growing role/ service that is being implemented across a wide array of systems. Community Health Centers, Behavioral Health Settings, Emergency Departments, Police and Criminal Justice Settings, Recovery Centers, Schools, Primary Care, Department of Children and Families, Faith based settings, Public Housing, amongst other settings have all benefited from Peer Support.
In a 2012 NIH publication, “Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among people with SUD”, the study assessed that about 89-95% of individuals with SUD report having history of traumatic experiences. SAMHSA reported that the percentage of People with Mental Health and SUD disorders nearly doubled during COVID in 2020. As the peer workforce comes across individuals with potential co-occurring challenges, it is pertinent that they are prepared to recognize that signs of trauma may be present in the individuals they support.
Target Audience
- Peer Support Specialist
Presenters
Paul Alves, CARC RCPF NCPRSS, is the Founder of Choice Recovery Coaching, Inc, a non profit organization dedicated to Coaching Recovery across the continuum of care and systems alike. He has been developing the Peer Recovery Workforce across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond, focusing on Wellness Recovery Oriented Systems of Care ( WROSC ) in order to diminish stigma while enhancing systems efforts and multiplying community wellness. Mr. Alves is a person in Long Term Recovery from Substance Use Disorder, Food Addiction and Mental Health affliction. With a positive attitude and contemporary perspective, he believes that all individuals have the ability to recover.