Overcoming Barriers and Recognizing the Unique Value of Including Peer Support Specialists with Prior Justice Involvement in Recovery-View Presentation Slides

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The webinar "Overcoming Barriers & Recognizing the Unique Value of Peer Support Specialists with Prior Justice Involvement," hosted by the American Psychiatric Association, focuses on understanding the crucial role of peer support specialists with prior justice involvement. It highlights the importance of these specialists in reducing recidivism and facilitating community integration. The session aims to develop strategies to overcome stigma and promote policy changes in personnel laws, certification processes, and reimbursement policies to better integrate peer specialists into clinical services.<br /><br />Key faculty members, including Amy Brinkley, Tony Sanchez, Justin Volpe, and Dr. Debra A. Pinals, discuss historical and current infrastructure for peer support, emphasizing the progress achieved in various states such as Colorado and Georgia. The webinar also addresses the importance of policy changes to facilitate the roles of individuals with felony backgrounds in peer support work, underscoring success stories such as Georgia's methodology for integrating CMS guidance with state laws.<br /><br />The discussion covers the evolution of peer support for mental health and substance abuse recovery, tracing its roots back to the 18th century's mutual aid societies and highlighting milestones such as the Community Mental Health Construction Act of the 1960s and the approval of Medicaid reimbursement for peer services in 2007.<br /><br />The session also examines successful models like Miami-Dade County’s jail diversion program, which reduced recidivism significantly. Participants are encouraged to reflect and act on the challenges faced by peers with justice involvement and to advocate for systemic changes to enhance these individuals’ participation in recovery-driven initiatives.

Keywords

Peer Support Specialists

Justice Involvement

Recidivism Reduction

Community Integration

Policy Changes

Felony Backgrounds

Medicaid Reimbursement

Mental Health Recovery

Jail Diversion Program

Systemic Advocacy