For updates regarding COVID-19 and the affected services and programs, please click here.
If you are interested in becoming a CRS, please complete the application (link below) and you will receive information on future trainings.
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. The training is a 10-week program at the end of which participants will be required to take an exam. Those who complete all ten courses and pass the exam will receive a certification that will make them eligible for employment as a Certified Recovery Specialist.
This program is sponsored by THE COUNCIL ON CHEMICAL ABUSE (COCA) and trainings are provided by the PENNSYLVANIA RECOVERY ORGANIZATION ALLIANCE (PRO-A). It is designed to meet the PCB’s 54 hour training requirements for the CRS Certification.
Prefer to mail or email the application? Download COCA CERTIFIED RECOVERY SPECIALIST TRAINING Application here. Contact information is provided on the application form.
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.
$10 for each day of training, $100 for the 10-week series. Payable upon acceptance.
$20 for each day of training, $200 for the 10-week series. Payable upon acceptance.
$125 payable upon completion of the 10-week series. Cost is the same for residents and non-residents of Berks County.
