We are excited to share that from July 22-25 CHR was able to host a four day Peer Recovery Support Specialist (PRSS) training made possible by funding from the Arizona Department of Health Services! In partnership with Coyote TaskForce, we were able to certify eight participants.
Participants were a mixture of CHR staff, volunteers, contractors, and program participants, who were all able to gain PRSS certification alongside additional credentials such as suicide prevention. CHR provided transportation, breakfast, lunch, and snacks each day to ensure the training was accessible for all.
We are so grateful to Coyote TaskForce for providing the core curriculum and certifications! And, of course, our Peer Navigator Vanessa was there throughout the whole training to add a harm reduction lens. She emphasized person-first language, meeting people where they’re at, and honoring all lived experiences.
Vanessa supported folks throughout the training in other ways too, from helping folks to complete their homework, to creating opportunities for participants from across Cochise County to connect and build networks of community, care, and support. “It was such a beautiful experience for me to get to witness the impact on people’s self-worth and their sense of accomplishment,” Vanessa shared. For many, it wasn’t just about developing professional skills (although- yay!), but also about reclaiming their confidence, their voice, their dignity, and the belief that they can use their experiences to help others in their communities. Los, a CHR staff member who participated said, “the class gave me more knowledge and it helped me be more prepared to help others that need it. It made me want to learn even more”
We hope this training will contribute to increasing the availability of peer support across Cochise County, with the newly certified PRSS bringing a diverse range of lived experience with substance use, housing instability, criminalization, recovery, and mental health struggles. Vanessa has already referred two graduates to local agencies for potential employment, and CHR is hoping to expand our own peer navigation program in the future. We also recognize the barriers that things like finger print clearance cards pose for people with lived experience entering the workforce. That’s why harm reduction peer support is so important, it’s low-barrier care and low-barrier employment, which helps create the conditions where care can be provided by those who truly understand, without judgement.
We’re proud to have been a part of this milestone for our participants, and we are looking forward to seeing their impact ripple through the county. We are so grateful to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Coyote TaskForce, and all of the participants for making this possible.