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  • Home
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  • FAQ
  • About
  • SCHEDULE A TRAINING
  • Ramblings: Blog by Cory D. Will

Peer Recovery Specialist

Home Peer Recovery Specialist

Type: Peer Certification Domains: Advocacy, Ethical Responsibility, Harm Reduction, Mentoring and Education, Recovery - Wellness Support Duration: 72 hrs

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DBHDS-Approved 72-Hour Training

The 72-Hour Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) Training is the foundational course required by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS). It was created from years of collaboration between people with lived experience, behavioral health professionals, and peer support leaders. The result is a unified, Virginia-specific curriculum that prepares participants to offer effective, ethical, and recovery-oriented peer support in diverse settings.

Objectives

Core Competencies developed by DBHDS and shaped by national and Virginia-based best practices.
Trauma-Informed, Recovery-Focused Principles that apply to both mental health and substance use recovery.
Practical Skills in communication, engagement, and crisis intervention.
Ethics & Boundaries for professional peer support roles.
Cultural Sensitivity & Inclusion in all aspects of support.
Navigating Systems & Resources within the Virginia behavioral health framework.
Wellness & Resilience Strategies for yourself and those you serve.

You will learn

  • Bias Awareness
  • Communication
  • Community Inclusion
  • Crisis Recognition
  • Cultural Humility
  • Ethical Practices
  • Person-Centered Practice
  • Professional Boundaries
  • Rapport Building

Recommended preparation

No specific prior competencies recommended.

Materials

  • DBHDS – Certification Exam Study Guide PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Certification Information DOCXLocked
  • DBHDS – Full PRS Training Manual PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Orientation – Barrier Crime Information PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Orientation – Code of Ethics PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Orientation – Core Competencies PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Orientation – Practice Guidelines PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Orientation – Study Guide DOCXLocked
  • DBHDS – Prevention and Recovery Action Plan DOCXLocked
  • DBHDS – Quick Reference Charts PDFLocked
  • DBHDS – Sample Resource Document DOCXLocked
  • Module 0 – Introduction to the Peer Recovery Specialist Training PDFLocked
  • Module 1 – Learning Agreements PDFLocked
  • Module 10 – It’s All About the Relationships PDFLocked
  • Module 10 – Servant Leadership PDFLocked
  • Module 11 – Trauma-Informed Care PDFLocked
  • Module 12 – Responding Purposefully PDFLocked
  • Module 13 – Stages of Change PDFLocked
  • Module 14 – BPSS Question Examples DOCXLocked
  • Module 14 – Brief Assessment of Recovery Capital PDFLocked
  • Module 14 – Communications Skills PDFLocked
  • Module 14 – Peer Support Toolkit – Achara PDFLocked
  • Module 14 – Recovery Capital Scale PDFLocked
  • Module 15 – Motivational Interviewing PDFLocked
  • Module 15 – Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change PDFLocked
  • Module 15 – Motivational Techniques and Skills PDFLocked
  • Module 16 – The Art of Sharing Your Story PDFLocked
  • Module 17 – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition PDFLocked
  • Module 17 – DSM 5 – Text Revision PDFLocked
  • Module 17 – Exploring Behavioral Health Challenges PDFLocked
  • Module 18 – Advocacy PDFLocked
  • Module 19 – APPR Participant Workbook PDFLocked
  • Module 19 – Evidence-Based and Emerging Best Practices PDFLocked
  • Module 19 – SAMHSA TIP 42 PDFLocked
  • Module 2 – Understanding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice PDFLocked
  • Module 2 – White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack PDFLocked
  • Module 20 – Documenting Peer Support Services PDFLocked
  • Module 20 – In the Workplace PDFLocked
  • Module 21 – Taking Care of Yourself PDFLocked
  • Module 22 – Congratulations PDFLocked
  • Module 3 – Behavioral Health Systems and History PDFLocked
  • Module 4 – Ethical Decision Making Model Worksheet – Tarvydas DOCXLocked
  • Module 4 – Understanding Ethical Decision Making PDFLocked
  • Module 5 – Exploring Definitions of Recovery, Resiliency, and Wellness PDFLocked
  • Module 5 – Lived Experience of Rehabilitation – Patricia E. Deegan PDFLocked
  • Module 5 – Personal Bill of Rights PDFLocked
  • Module 5 – Recovery Bill of Rights PDFLocked
  • Module 6 – Medication Assisted Treatment – Four OUD Medications PDFLocked
  • Module 6 – Pathways to Recovery PDFLocked
  • Module 7 – Empathetic Language PDFLocked
  • Module 7 – Recovery Dialects PDFLocked
  • Module 7 – Recovery Language PDFLocked
  • Module 7 – Recovery Oriented Language Guide PDFLocked
  • Module 8 – Knowing Yourself and Others PDFLocked
  • Module 8 – Positivity is a Habit PDFLocked
  • Module 8 – Values Clarification Exercise DOCXLocked
  • Module 9 – Intentional Peer Support – Chapter 1 PDFLocked
  • Module 9 – Peer Delivered Services PDFLocked
  • Module 9 – Peer Values Poster – S.E.E. Recovery Center PDFLocked
  • Module 9 – Principles of Strength-Based Practice PDFLocked
  • Module 9 – Understanding Peer Support PDFLocked
  • Module 9 – Values List PDFLocked
  • Module 9 – William White Papers PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Calm Mindfulness Journal PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Coping Alphabet PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Coping Strategies PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – DBT Resources DOCXLocked
  • Supplemental – I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! Excerpt PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Identity Label Worksheet PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Interpersonal Effectiveness PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Lifespan Handout PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Pronoun Tips DOCXLocked
  • Supplemental – PRS Glossary PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – The Biosocial Theory of Dialectical Behavior Therapy PDFLocked
  • Supplemental – Trigger and Stressor Worksheet PDFLocked

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Walking Out of Darkness is dedicated to advancing recovery-oriented care by uniting professional expertise with lived experience. We provide comprehensive, trauma-informed training that equips professionals, strengthens communities, and transforms systems of care to inspire lasting recovery and hope. This business is Veteran Owned and Operated.

Find us here

  • Cory Will
  • Walking Out of Darkness, LLC
  • Northern Virgina
  • contact@walkoutofdarkness.com
  • www.walkoutofdarkness.com

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