Recovery Coach Academy

A Recovery Coach is defined as anyone interested in promoting recovery by removing barriers and obstacles to recovery and serving as a personal guide and mentor for people seeking or already in recovery. The Recovery Coach Academy (RCA) is a five-day training opportunity designed for those interested in serving as a recovery coach focusing primarily on recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. The RCA is a highly interactive, personal experience that allows participants to learn the purpose, tasks and various roles of a recovery coach. The RCA provides participants tools and resources vital to providing recovery support services and develops the skills needed to link recoverees to the services and supports that will maintain and sustain recovery.

Unequivocally, recovery coaches do not provide clinical services. They do, however sometimes work with people experiencing difficult emotional and physical states. As a result, the training provides participants with a basic understanding of substance use and mental disorders, crisis intervention and how to respond in crisis situations. In addition, skills and tools on effective communication, motivational enhancement strategies, recovery action planning, cultural competency and recovery ethics will be offered.

Learning Objectives for the Recovery Coach Academy

Participants will be able to:

" Describe the roles and functions of a recovery coach
" List the components, core values and guiding principles of recovery
" Build skills to enhance relationships
" Discuss co-occurring disorders and medicated assisted recovery
" Describe stages of change and their applications
" Address ethical issues
" Experience wellness planning
" Practice newly acquired skills

Training of Trainers

Those interested in becoming trainers of the Recovery Coach Academy can attend a concurrent Training-of-Trainers which will be offered in an additional two hours following each training day and all day Saturday immediately following the Academy. The TOT is designed to familiarize participants with the full curriculum and to learn optimal methods of delivering the RCA. The TOT is not a training primer, therefore those selecting to attend the TOT need to be seasoned trainers.

5-Day Training Outline

Day 1
The focus on Day One of the Recovery Coach Academy is to create a safe learning environment where new knowledge transfer can occur and basic assumptions and values can be challenged. Furthermore, on Day One participants will get a firm foundation in terminology, role clarification and guiding principles.

Day 2
The focus of day two is to examine the optimal ways of working with people. Both knowledge acquisition and skill development in our role as recovery coaches will be accomplished.

Day 3
Day three has a knowledge acquisition on recovery models and change models as well as a strong focus on skill development in motivating others to change

Day 4
Day four has two distinct components: knowledge and skill development on issues of spirituality, cultural competence and ethics; and an immersion into the resources in Connecticut and how to access them.

Day 5
Day five is primarily concerned with the actualization of becoming a recovery coach. An emphasis will also be placed on future professional development needs and responsibilities and appropriately closing a week-long academy

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Click here to read the
essay "The Importance of Role Clarity and Role Integrity"
by William L. White.

Recovery Coach Academy Newsletter
Click here to read the
Recovery Coach Academy January 2009 Newsletter

Recovery Coach Academy Manuals
If you have completed the RCA Training of Trainers
and are conducting your
own training, please contact
Normajean at normajean@ccar.us to obtain
the link to purchase manuals.