Education

Welcome to Our School of Peer Recovery

What is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist?

Peer recovery specialists (PRS) focus on voluntary access to recovery services. Guidance and support is crucial to provide a strength-based approach that empowers the person to maintain recovery. A PRS may have insights and suggestions that promote healthier living but in no way should force a certain method of recovery upon a person. A fostering a strong relationship is foundational and should model respect, trust, empathy, and collaboration. In this way a PRS provides a representation of characteristics that a peer can look for in others they can be vulnerable with.

Certified Peer Recovery Training – Course Description

In addition to the course Damascus Way offers a study session to help students prepare for the certification exam.

Damascus Way provides a 46-hour peer recovery training that utilizes a Minnesota Certification Board (MCB) approved curriculum. This course includes 30 hours of peer recovery training and a 16-hour ethics curriculum to address the ethical training requirements for PRSs in the State of Minnesota. The course focus is to promote thinking and recovery support strategies that assist a person in taking the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Peer Recovery Exam hosted by the MCB. It also aims to address trauma – informed perspectives within the context of peer to peer services.

Curriculum Approved by the Minnesota Certification Board

The School of Peer Recovery – Trauma-Informed Perspectives curriculum is written to view recovery through lens of trauma-informed care and provide recovery support specific to individuals at all stages of recovery. Selected lessons provide the opportunity for topic discussions on developing a framework of care based on the four R’s of trauma-informed practices: Realizing, Recognizing, Responding, and Resisting re-traumatization. Additional culturally based lessons, delivered by specified trainers, help to provide perspectives from marginalized and underserved communities. Mentorship skills are also provided by developing interpersonal, listening, and rapport building skills based on a motivational interviewing perspective of encouragement. Finally, all ethical lessons seek to provide security and safety for the peer recovery specialist and all demographics seeking recovery.

Application

We have limited registration for our School of Peer Recovery in order to facilitate an engaging exchange of ideas and sufficient time for discussion and roleplay. To help us understand your enthusiasm towards becoming a peer recovery specialist or taking the class, please call to access our application for the school. Your time spent filling out the application will give us a better understanding of your aspirations and motivations. We highly appreciate it!

Volunteers & Alumni

Damascus Way is always trying to find better ways to engage and support the volunteers and volunteering alumni of our recovery and reentry housing. To show our appreciation for the volunteers and volunteering alumni of Damascus Way we offer a scholarship to those seeking skill to better help those within the recovery and reentry community.

PRS Course Schedule

Our training consists of a six-and-a-half-day course that includes a study session to help you pass the INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION & RECIPROCITY CONSORTIUM (IC &RC) Peer Recovery Examination.

Training Fees

Please contact Jacob Lusk at 763.299.0806 for information regarding the application, daily class schedule and expectations for participants.

Forensic Peer Specialist Endorsements – COMING SOON!

A Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist is a professional who works with criminal justice-involved individuals in jails, prisons, communities, treatment programs, psychiatric facilities and probation offices. They provide support to individuals suffering from substance use or mental health issues in traversing the criminal justice system. They also provide guidance on how to successfully transition back into the community. The goal of a Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist is to help justice-involved individuals lead productive lives free from substance use or illegal activity. Damascus Way is working to provide a training course endorsement for Forensic Peer Recovery. Our residential reentry and recovery supports have always included knowledge and advisement in negotiating the judicial system.