Transforming Lived Experience into Professional Peer Leadership
Operated by Life’s Hope Ministries
In Strategic Educational Partnership with The Very Professional Group
Welcome to the Life’s Hope Peer Mentorship Academy. We believe that lived experience with substance use recovery and mental health navigation is not a limitation—it is a vital, transformative asset. Our state-aligned peer support training program equips individuals in recovery with the professional tools, ethical foundations, and practical communication skills needed to mentor others walking the path to stability.
Whether you are seeking to become an Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Traditional Health Worker (THW) Peer Support Specialist or a MHACBO Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM), Life’s Hope Ministries provides a compassionate, peer-led environment where your personal journey becomes a bridge of hope for others.
To ensure alignment with state credentialing boards, applicants seeking formal certification upon graduation must meet the following criteria:
1. State Abstinence & Lived Experience Requirements
Lived Experience: Must self-identify as a person with lived experience in recovery from substance use dependence and/or mental health challenges.
Recovery Time (for CRM Track): Must demonstrate a minimum of two (2) consecutive years of recovery from substance use dependence as mandated by MHACBO and OHA for Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM) credentialing.
2. General Prerequisites
Age: Must be at least 18 years of age.
Background Check: Ability to pass an OHA/MHACBO-compliant background review (noting specific exclusionary criteria under ORS 443.004).
Commitment: Mandatory 100% attendance across all 40 hours of instruction and practical role-playing modules.
This academy represents a collaborative, non-profit partnership designed to provide a complete ecosystem of recovery and economic opportunity:
Life’s Hope Ministries (Housing & Mentorship): Operates the peer support curriculum, manages residential housing environments (such as the Nezfern Recovery House), handles peer mentorship supervision, and fosters community wellness.
The Very Professional Group (Vocational Infrastructure): Provides the physical workshop infrastructure, technical skill-building, micro-enterprise training (apiculture, packaging, solar/E-bike maintenance), and job-readiness pipelines for peers and residents.
Together, this ecosystem ensures that participants do not just achieve recovery stability—they gain actionable vocational skills to thrive in the regional economy.
Peer Support Specialists and Certified Recovery Mentors provide non-clinical, trauma-informed guidance rooted in mutual respect, shared understanding, and personal accountability. Rather than acting as clinicians, peers serve as:
Navigators: Helping individuals access housing, healthcare, recovery support groups, and vocational training.
Allies: Walking alongside residents and community members without judgment, honoring all self-directed pathways to recovery.
Advocates: Assisting individuals in communicating their needs to clinical teams, housing boards, and community agencies.
Role Models: Demonstrating that long-term recovery, personal dignity, and self-sufficiency are achievable.
Our 40-Hour Foundational Peer Leadership Curriculum is structured to fulfill the educational requirements for state certification through both the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Mental Health and Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO).
Module 1: Foundations of Recovery & Peer Roles
Defining the core values and guiding principles of peer-delivered services.
Understanding the stages of change and self-directed recovery models.
Exploring the impact of self-disclosure: when, how, and why to share your personal story effectively.
Module 2: Trauma-Informed Care & Culturally Responsive Support
Principles of trauma-informed care: safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
Navigating power dynamics, privilege, and cultural humility in peer relationships.
Supporting individuals utilizing Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and harm-reduction strategies.
Module 3: Communication & Mentorship Skills
Motivational Interviewing (MI) Basics: Utilizing open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries (OARS).
De-escalation techniques, active listening, and conflict resolution in residential and community settings.
Group facilitation skills for recovery circles and peer support meetings.
Module 4: Professional Ethics, Boundaries & Confidentiality
Boundary management: establishing healthy emotional, physical, and professional limits.
Confidentiality Regulations: Navigating 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA standards in community settings.
Mandatory reporting obligations, ethical decision-making frameworks, and professional codes of conduct.
Module 5: Wellness, Self-Care & Community Navigation
Developing individualized Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP).
Preventing compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout through structured self-care routines.
Connecting peers to housing resources, employment training hubs (such as TVPG micro-enterprises), and healthcare networks.
Classes are kept small to ensure personalized instruction, role-play evaluation, and deep group connection.
Format: In-Person Cohorts (Held at designated Life’s Hope community spaces)
Duration: 40 Hours (5-day intensive or multi-week evening schedule options)
Tuition: Sponsorships and grant-funded scholarships are available for eligible participants residing in partner housing or community programs.
Ready to mentor others on their recovery journey?
Submit an online interest form or contact Life’s Hope Ministries to apply for our next Peer Mentorship Academy cohort.
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