Recovery through an Integrated Peer Workforce

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Recovery through an Integrated Peer Workforce
Lori Ashcraft, Ph.D. Executive Director META
Services Recovery Education Center Eugene
Johnson, CISW President/CEO META Services
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Peer Employment Training Program

• Peer Support Training program implemented by META
  Services Recovery Education Center in September
  2001.
• Initial 100,000 annual establishment grant with
  ongoing funding from Arizona Rehabilitation
  Services Administration.
• Serves Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona.
• Trains people who receive services to be peer
  providers in a wide range of recovery-oriented
  programs.

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Peer Employment Training Program

• Today METAs peer programs receive over 4.5 M in
  annual funding.
• Under Arizonas Medicaid program Peer Support is
  a Title XIX reimburseable service.
• Over 4 million in peer services are provided
  annually by peers working on META teams.

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Peer Support Specialist Results
September 2001 March 2004

• 412 Peer Support Specialist graduates
• 253 employed by META, 35 other by mental health
  agencies 70
• 158 currently employed at META (50 of META
  staff)
• 50 full time
• average hours of part time workers 20 per week
• Salary
• 8 - 40,000
• 14 - 30,000
• Others earn between 9.33/hr and 12.50/hr
• Total annual hours 210,000 (100 full time
  equivalents)
• Total annual compensation 1,900,000

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Peer Employment Training Program

• Only requirements for training are (no other
  admission or screening criteria)
• Mental health lived experience.
• Completed a WRAP
• Desire to attend.
• Training is a 70-hour curriculum delivered over
  five weeks
• A Graduation event is very important. Celebrate
  the success!

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Class Structure

• Sixteen Modules of 4-1/2 hours each.
• Class size 8 26 (optimal is 18-20).
• Tests are given to establish a certification of
  competency in the knowledge and skills.
• Attendance standards allow missing three classes
  with make up homework and tests for missed
  classes.

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Content of the Training

• Recovery
• Peer Support
• Meaning and Purpose at Work
• Personal Skill Development through Emotional
  Intelligence
• Developing Self Esteem And Managing Self Talk
• Telling Your Story Of Recovery
• Cultural Awareness and the Importance of
  Maintaining a Recovery Environment
• Recovery from Substance Abuse

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Content of the Training

• Strategies for Successful Employment Including
  Ethics and Boundaries
• Communication Skills
• Recovery from Trauma and Developing Resilience
• Dealing with Intense Situations and Symptoms
• Conflict Resolution
• Partnering and Social Change
• Graduation

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What Shows Up with Peers on the Team?

• The Peer Specialists own recovery is
  strengthened through service.
• Peer Specialists help others recover through
  engagement, hope, and mutual relationship/friendsh
  ip.
• Helps the organization/system recover.
• Moving from mental patient to colleague
  redefines our roles and boundaries.
• As staff work alongside people in recovery, staff
  find new hope.

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Outcomes of the Training
(evaluation in collaboration with Center for
Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University)

• Vocational outcomes for the first 66 students
  were studied.
• Standardized surveys were administered at the
  beginning and at the end of the training.
• Recovery Attitudes Questionnaire
• Empowerment. Making Decisions scale
• Tennessee Self Concept Scale.

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Vocational Outcome

• All 66 trainees received employment at META.
• 89 were still working after one year
• 29 were full time, 52 part time, and 19 hourly
• Average starting wage was 9.33 and full time
  salaries ranged between 23,566 and 40,000 with
  comprehensive benefits

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Empowerment Outcome

• Increase in score from 2.97 to 3.13 on a
  four-point scale.
• Statistical significance (plt0.0001)
• Indicates participants feel more empowered after
  the training than before.

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Recovery Attitudes Outcome

• Increase in score from 1.71 to 1.55 on a
  five-point scale.
• Statistical significance (plt0.006)
• Indicates participants had a positive increase in
  their attitude toward recovery.

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Self-Concept Outcome

• Increase in the Personal subscale score from
  47.38 to 45.00.
• Statistical significance (plt0.0098)
• Indicates participants have greater personal
  self-worth after the training than before.

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Peer Support SpecialistsMake a Difference!