We are currently re-developing our CRS training program. Check back for updates coming soon.
The Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) credential qualifies drug and alcohol peers who are in recovery to help others move into and through the recovery process. We are currently in the process of redeveloping our CRS training program. Check back soon for updates.
While COCA remains confident that we will be able to offer another CRS training series in the near future, we will not be among the first to offer this training. If your priority is to get trained as soon as possible, we encourage you to seek more information on the Pennsylvania Certification Board website, where trainings are now open for enrollment. Each trainer is independent and prices may vary from those offered by COCA, however the material, curriculum, and trainings will all be the same.
More information should be available here by mid-March. Check back soon.
The Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) is a credential offered by the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB). It qualifies individuals who are in recovery from addiction to help their peers move into and through the recovery process.
It is specifically for individuals with personal, lived experience in their own recovery, who have been in recovery for a minimum of 18 months. Recovery services are an important component in recovery-oriented systems of care. By offering insight into the recovery process based on their own experience, recovery specialists are able to provide a unique perspective to those with similar life experiences. As a CRS, an individual accepts and agrees that their experience as a person in recovery from a substance use disorder will be known by their colleagues, persons served, and others with whom they may share that they have achieved this credential.
The role of the CRS reflects a collaborative and strength-based approach, with the primary goal being to assist individuals in achieving sustained recovery. CRS’s serve in a support role within the community and/or treatment setting. They do not replace other professional service; they complement the existing array of support services. The CRS is not a sponsor, case manage or a therapist but rather a role model, mentor, advocate and motivator. Services provided by the CRS are a critical component of services that substantially improve an individual’s ability to sustain recovery and wellness.
New certification requirements are currently being developed.
