This 5.5-hour continuing education course prepares social workers to support adolescents recovering from substance use disorders through two complementary models of care: recovery high schools (RHSs) and alternative peer groups (APGs). The course begins by examining why adolescent recovery differs fundamentally from adult recovery—peer influence, family systems, ongoing identity development, and the high prevalence of relapse all shape a developmentally distinct approach (Nash & Collier, 2016). Social workers will explore the foundations of peer-based recovery support (White, 2009) and the structure of adolescent peer groups that makes prosocial networks such a powerful lever for change (Kreager, Rulison, & Moody, 2011). The course then details the APG model, which pairs trained staff with prosocial recovery peers and integrates group meetings, sober social activities, and individual and family counseling (Collier, Hilliker, & Onwuegbuzie, 2014). Learners will examine how young people describe the keys to successful recovery (Nash, Marcus, Engebretson, & Bukstein, 2015), the advantages and disadvantages adolescents attribute to APGs (Smith et al., 2020), and how recovery capital illuminates the mechanisms of change (Nash, Hennessy, & Collier, 2019). Additional content addresses recovery high schools as a parallel model, coordination within a broader community system of care (Holleran Steiker et al., 2015), and the role of the twelve steps in adolescent recovery (Nash, 2020). Through lecture, case discussion, and applied exercises, social workers will leave able to describe the core components of RHS and APG models, apply peer- and family-centered strategies in practice, and support continuity of care across school, clinical, and home settings. Upon completion, participants will receive 5.5 continuing education units.
This 5.5-hour continuing education course prepares social workers to support adolescents recovering from substance use disorders through two complementary models of care: recovery high schools (RHSs) and alternative peer groups (APGs). The course begins by examining why adolescent recovery differs fundamentally from adult recovery—peer influence, family systems, ongoing identity development, and the high prevalence of relapse all shape a developmentally distinct approach (Nash & Collier, 2016). Social workers will explore the foundations of peer-based recovery support (White, 2009) and the structure of adolescent peer groups that makes prosocial networks such a powerful lever for change (Kreager, Rulison, & Moody, 2011). The course then details the APG model, which pairs trained staff with prosocial recovery peers and integrates group meetings, sober social activities, and individual and family counseling (Collier, Hilliker, & Onwuegbuzie, 2014). Learners will examine how young people describe the keys to successful recovery (Nash, Marcus, Engebretson, & Bukstein, 2015), the advantages and disadvantages adolescents attribute to APGs (Smith et al., 2020), and how recovery capital illuminates the mechanisms of change (Nash, Hennessy, & Collier, 2019). Additional content addresses recovery high schools as a parallel model, coordination within a broader community system of care (Holleran Steiker et al., 2015), and the role of the twelve steps in adolescent recovery (Nash, 2020). Through lecture, case discussion, and applied exercises, social workers will leave able to describe the core components of RHS and APG models, apply peer- and family-centered strategies in practice, and support continuity of care across school, clinical, and home settings. Upon completion, participants will receive 5.5 continuing education units.