When a person dealing with substance use disorder has peer support, their chances of staying sober double. When coupled with clinical care, those odds are even higher. Access to peer support services has shown to improve outcomes of those seeking sobriety because CPSP’s offer a personal connection and trust building that sets their services apart from other areas of substance use disorder treatment.
Last week, Dove Recovery House for Women hosted a Certified Peer Support Professional (CPSP) training in Jasper, Indiana, equipping 25 individuals with the tools and certification to provide impactful, peer-based support. This group included Dove House staff, program graduates, and community partners—all now formally trained and certified to support individuals on their recovery journeys. This training was made possible by a generous grant from the Dubois County Community Foundation and led by trainers from Mental Health America of Indiana.
In Indiana, a CPSP is an individual who utilizes their lived experience combined with formal training to instill hope, inspire change, and support other individuals through similar experiences, using personal connection, person centered care, and their shared understanding to navigate their life in recovery. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration – Division of Mental Health and Addiction is committed to providing recovery services and manages this certification.
“Peer Support Coaches are the leaders that know, go, and show the way, and instill confidence in other people,” said Officer Jason Knies, a Jasper School Resource Officer who attended the training.
With limited resources and opportunities for care, rural communities have seen a spike in substance use related problems. When Dove House opened in Jasper to serve Dubois County and surrounding areas in 2022, there was no place for women with substance use disorder to go.
Dove House is proud to have been able to create a space for women seeking recovery and now to use our role to increase the number of Certified Peer Support Professionals in Dubois County and in Indiana. Peer support is one of the pillars of the Dove House treatment model. CPSP’s play a pivotal role in the day-to-day lives of the women served and their successes, helping them set and achieve goals that many women considered impossible to reach.
“By training our staff and community members to become peer support professionals, we are empowering them to help the women we serve achieve the lives they only once dreamed of,” said Megan Durlauf, Director of Operations at Dove House in Dubois County. “We are grateful to the Dubois County Community Foundation for their continued leadership in providing solutions to substance use disorder in our community.”
“The training was amazing. It was so encouraging seeing the diversity in the room, the amount of amazing information that was shared, and how it can be used not just in the field but also in our own personal lives,” Seth, an attendee reflected. “I am so grateful for the wonderful feedback from everybody in their own perspectives. I encourage any and all to try the training out for yourselves. You won’t regret it!”
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