University of St. Francis CRSS Success Program Student Amanda Rolih
My name is Amanda Rolih!
My favorite part of the CRSS program was learning how to use my recovery to help other people. When you go through addiction and mental illness, you have a tendency to think all the struggle was just a waste of time but the CRSS program showed us how to use our experience to help others!
I would recommend the CRSS program because you have the opportunity to be the light at the end of someone else's dark tunnel! The program also helps you grow in your own recovery. You learn how to properly advocate for yourself and other people in the mental health and addiction field. You learn professional responsibility. You also learn the importance of support and encouragement and different ways to support and encourage others. My favorite part was learning about active listening.
The most valuable experience I had in the program was the life long friendship I have gained from the CRSS program.
My quote about the program is from my professor Marcia. She liked to remind us to "stay in your lane". Which means we need to remember we are not there to treat, diagnosis or heal people. We are meant to advocate, support, encourage and share our experiences with another to help them through their own illness or addiction.
College of DuPage CRSS Success Program Student Keith Perna
Over the past 32 years, my journey through trauma, dysfunction, and substance use disorder caused me to question my purpose in life. I became homeless, lost my car and driver’s license, was unemployed, and had unimaginable financial debt. I burned every bridge possible in the wake of my destruction and had nowhere to turn for help. My will to live was vanishing along with everything I had ever loved. Addiction had stolen my sanity, my dreams, and hijacked my every thought. Hope was gone from my life and my soul was empty; I was a broken man.
My quest to find myself brought me to my knees. Only an act of divine intervention could save me, so I lifted my hands to the heavens and begged for mercy. In desperation, I walked 20 miles to a drug and alcohol treatment center where I collapsed in the lobby when I arrived. I experienced many struggles and setbacks as I tried to regain my stability in recovery. However, with perseverance and a new-found hope, I forged ahead and began rebuilding my life.
Over the course of the next several years, and with the help of a great mentor, I adhered to the 12-Step program and attended peer support groups. During this time, I worked in the manufacturing industry where there were no opportunities for advancement or personal growth. I struggled to make financial amends and put the past behind me. Once this goal was accomplished, I found myself standing at a crossroad where I once again grappled with my purpose in life. A peer in recovery suggested that I could help myself by helping others and thus began a two-year commitment to serving in a homeless outreach program twice a week.
Last year when my father was in Hospice, a chaplain came in to offer family support. After a brief conversation with him, he told me that he was a certified recovery coach and suggested that I consider becoming one myself. Intrigued, I began researching and found that the College of DuPage had a scholarship opportunity for those with lived experience to apply for their CRSS certification program. One thing led to another. I received the scholarship, completed the required classes, and have begun my internship at NAMI.
My experience with the College of DuPage has been instrumental in helping me to change my outlook on life and recovery. Professors Andrea Polites and Bruce Sewick stretched my thinking and challenged me with coursework that exceeded my expectations. They instructed, inspired, and supported me and my classmates with their knowledge, wisdom, and experience. I learned the tremendous value of hope and the necessity to share it with others. They introduced and reinforced the importance of maintaining the core ethical principles in our role as a Recovery Support Specialist. I learned to recognize the signs of compassion fatigue and, among other things, the different aspects of dual relationships and their potential effects on the welfare of the client. I feel equipped with the skills needed to interact with peers at the NAMI Drop-In Center and I look forward to honing them as my experience grows.
My heart is filled with a spirit of gratitude for all those who walked with me along the way. Thank you for the light of hope you brought to my darkness and for helping me to envision a new life that has turned my pain into purpose. I promise to pay it forward as I walk with others on their journey into recovery
Elgin Community College CRSS Success Program Student TARA RETONDO
Never in my life, after everything I went through, did I think I would, find a career that encompassed exactly what I wanted to do at the exact moment I was capable of doing it. One that could make such an impact on others, but also on that of myself. For years, I’ve wanted to find some way to work in the mental health field but didn’t know how I would be able. I also found that sharing my story with others helped them feel less alone. The RSS program at Elgin Community College allowed me to blend these two concepts in a beautiful, synchronized harmony.
My time in the RSS program at Elgin Community College was nothing short of extraordinary. Throughout my four semesters I attended, not a day went by that I didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of belonging and purpose being there. I think as I look back on that time my favorite thing about being a part of this program specifically at ECC is how much from the very beginning did I feel welcomed, excitement from everyone there and most importantly was the sense that what we were working towards truly mattered. The professor I had specifically who I grew to admire the most, Andrew Beck, treated us students as his future colleagues that will be just as important to a clients' treatment team as any other mental health professional. All the professors in the ECC program hold a remarkable belief in their students and in their capabilities that I can personally say helped me see that my potential is far greater than I ever considered.
The most valuable experience I had at during this program was when I was doing my first internship and came across a client in crisis. They explained to me just how exhausted they were fighting and did not have the ability to have hope anymore. These words I recognized because they were ones I said myself, many times when I was at my worst. I then said to the client “That’s understandable, with everything you have gone through and how long you have fought it makes sense you can’t have hope right now. I know because I have been there. So you know what all of us, myself included, will hold hope for you until you can once again.” The client smiled and said a simple, “thank you.” As their demeanor changed slightly I knew the impact I had just made, and I knew that there was no other place I was meant to be then right there sitting across someone once as hopeless as me becoming a symbol of hope they so desperately needed.
I can’t speak for how other schools do their RSS program, but I can say that without a doubt I would choose ECC’s program above all else. The classes are laid out in a balance that challenges students to succeed and expand their way of thinking of the human experience, and does all this while still feeling manageable with students current work load. There are lots of times for necessary conversation and important discussions that lead to insightful and meaningful hours that students want to continue even after class has ended. Everyone’s personal experience is acknowledged and celebrated. It creates an energy of positivity and hope, a real wonderful tight nit community. We all look out each other and praise one another. All this and so much more is why I recommend ECC’s RSS program and continue to endorse it even after I have graduated. It does and will always hold a place very near and dear to my heart.
Tara with Professor Beck at the Recovery Support Specialist graduation at Elgin Community College
Safeguarding the Integrity of Peer Professional Roles: Understanding, Addressing, and Preventing Peer Drift
By: Christa Cornelius, MHP, CRSS
Peer professionals are individuals equipped with training to utilize their personal, lived experience of recovery in order to support and enhance the resilience of others facing mental health and/or substance use challenges. This role is distinct and separate from the framework of a clinical or medical model.
Peer professionals go beyond clinical treatment by offering non-clinical, strengths-oriented support. They help individuals connect with or remain engaged in the recovery process through shared understanding, mutual empowerment, and respect, drawing on shared experiences. It's important to note that peer professional services do not replicate the responsibilities of behavioral health specialists. Peer professionals help lay the foundation for recovery based on mutuality through a non-hierarchical relationship. They help make connections with other services and supports, assist individuals in understanding their care, and empower people to make informed decisions.
More and more often we are seeing increasing rates of peer drift. Peer drift, otherwise known as co-opting, manifests when the responsibilities of a peer professional begin to stray from the distinctive practices that set them apart from clinical or other recovery providers. It may also arise when peer professionals feel uneasy in their role, leading them to transition towards a more medical treatment-oriented position. This shift could involve a focus on symptoms and/or diagnoses, or a tendency to encourage individuals to adhere to advice rather than supporting them in making their own decisions.
SAMHSA recognizes two categories of peer drift which include organizational and individual peer drift. They explain that organizational peer drift happens when peer professionals are marginalized and assigned tasks that misalign their intended duties. Individual peer drift is discussed as the peer professional acting in a role that differs from their dedicated responsibilities, which can look like acting in a more hierarchical position (coach, sponsor, counselor, etc), or like stepping into a more clinical approach. It can also evolve into allowing boundaries to be lax, creating a less structured relationship with the individual.
Peer drift can happen when there is a lack of understanding regarding the role of peer professionals, pressure to comply/conform, or when the distinctly different perspective from which peer professionals work is not honored. Co-opting happens when the peer professional role is different from what it is intended to be or by doing the work of
others.
Peer professionals are not therapists/counselors, case managers, nurses, friends, transportation services, bill collectors, sponsors, or coaches. They do not provide or use religious advice or promote religious affiliation, assess or provide diagnosis, take over
someone else's recovery, oversee medications or any type of testing, or insist
on recovery if someone isn't willing.
How can we avoid peer drift and co-opting?
· By becoming very familiar with the National Practice Guidelines for Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors (read here)
· Staying anchored to the model of providing non-clinical, non-hierarchical, strengths-based support through shared experiences.
· Avoiding the use of clinical concepts and elevating the voice of lived experience.
· Join or create an Advisory Council to receive ongoing input from peer professionals working in the field and seeking input at every intercept.
· Train non-peer professionals at organizations that hire Peer Support Specialists about what Peer Support is rooted in and taking action to prevent assimilation into other roles.
· Advocate for policies and procedures to be developed or improved to take into account the actual role of peer support.
What to do if you feel your role has drifted or your work is being co-opted?
· Talk to your supervisor. Review your job description and the National Practice Guidelines for Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors. (read here) Suggest formalized training for the whole organization to get a better understanding .
· Contact your Advisory Council to discuss the issues you are having.
· Contact NAMI Illinois Alliance of Peer Professionals to get more information (Contact NIAPP)
Resources:
Understanding and Avoiding "Peer Drift" presented by 814-CRSS Success Learning Collaborative Division of Mental Health
Peer Support Services in Crisis Care by SAMHSA
National Practice Guidelines for Peer Specialists and Supervisors presented by National Association of Peer Supporters