Recovery coaching is the process in which a nonclinical professional typically provides guidance to individuals with an SUD by helping them access care and supporting them in the removal of barriers to recovery (Zandniapour et al., 2020). The evaluation of recovery coaching as a substance use treatment strategy is still in nascent phases and more knowledge is needed on its implementation and associated outcomes.
The interim and final reports of this study build upon the evidence base surrounding recovery coaching programs by detailing the services provided and the outcomes of program participants, recovery coaches, and organizations across AmeriCorps-supported organizations implementing a recovery coaching approach. AmeriCorps contracted with an independent consulting firm to provide this comprehensive evaluation of AmeriCorps projects’ use of recovery coaching models and deliver targeted Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB) services to AmeriCorps-supported organizations participating in the evaluation.
Research Objectives
- Describe peer recovery coaching model approaches, including promising practices and implementation challenges.
- Understand how peer recovery coaching improves outcomes for organizations, peer recovery coaches, and program participants.
Findings
AmeriCorps-supported organizations leverage paid staff, AmeriCorps State and National members, and VISTAs to provide direct services and/or contribute to organizational activities to serve diverse, and challenging-to-treat target populations.
Programs use a holistic ("whole person") and culturally appropriate approach to services to recognize clients as individuals which may increase treatment effectiveness .
Recovery coaches' lived experience with SUD was generally believed to be important for building rapport and increasing client engagement, which can improve treatment outcomes. However, organizations varied in their definitions of, and requirements for, lived experience among their coaches.
Hiring practices that disqualify candidates based on criminal history may impede otherwise qualified coaches from being hired.
Spending more time (9-16hrs/week) with a recovery coach was associated with a large (1-point) increase in average recovery capital scores (range: 1-5) compared to those who spent less than 1hr/week, adding evidence to suggest time spent with a recovery coach may be important for recovery capital outcome.
- Participants of Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB) sessions self-reported the highest satisfaction rating for a session on "Feedback on the Bundled Evaluation", suggesting evaluation participation may be meaningfully enriched when evaluation findings are shared with participants, and opportunities for learning and discussion are provided.
Suite of Work
AmeriCorps Recovery Coaching Cohort 1 Report: full report focused on cohort 1 of AmeriCorps-supported recovery coach programs
Cohort 1 Snapshot: 14-page snapshot focused on the preliminary findings in cohort 1 of the bundled evaluation of AmeriCorps-supported recovery coach programs
Recovery Coaching Programs "Evaluation Overview": 3-page overview of the AmeriCorps bundled evaluation of recovery coaching
APHA Poster: poster developed for the APHA conference titled "Using research and evidence to inform a federal agency's response to the opioid and substance use epidemic"
Full report
Further information
AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation Commissioned Report