At Advocates, we believe that people change and grow in connection with others. We also place tremendous value on the life experience of people in mental health and addiction recovery. Our growing team of peer specialists and recovery coaches use their expertise and personal stories to inspire hope and demonstrate that recovery is possible for everyone. Peer professionals support people in Advocates’ Behavioral Health programs in a variety of ways, including connecting them to recovery resources and a network of support outside of the mental health system. They also serve a vital role in raising awareness about mental health recovery in the wider community.
The peer specialist role is unique because it is not clinical. Peer specialists at Advocates listen and share and encourage. They don’t administer medications or take clinical notes. The relationship between a peer specialist and the person they are supporting is based on respect, mutuality, and trust. Many people at Advocates credit peer support as a crucial factor on the journey to recovery. As Sharon explains, “Partnering with a peer specialist has helped me realize that I am in recovery and the next steps. They enlighten me and encourage me to strive for the stars.”
Read our Peer Support at Advocates FAQs to learn more.
Our Services
The Living Room
Located in Framingham, The Living Room is a 24/7 crisis alternative to emergency department visits that is a welcoming space where people experiencing emotional distress and crisis can walk in to connect with a peer specialist on the spot. No referral is necessary to visit our comfortable, home-like location. Learn more.
No One Walks Alone Recovery Support Center
Located in Whitinsville, No One Walks Alone (NOWA) provides a space for individuals in recovery or seeking recovery to:
- Connect with others in recovery
- Learn new ways to support their recovery
- Involve family and friends in their recovery
- Find outside supports and resources
- Prepare for and find employment
- Help others
- Engage in events and educational workshops
- Break the stigma of addiction
At NOWA, members and staff inspire, motivate, and encourage the Blackstone Valley community by showing that recovery is possible. Learn more.
Virtual Peer Support Groups
Advocates offers several virtual peer support groups via Zoom. These include mental health support groups, as well as social and recreational groups. Facilitated by members of Advocates' Peer Support Team, these support groups are open to anyone in the community, not just individuals served by Advocates, and participation is confidential. Learn more.
Recovery Coaching
Recovery coaches are professionally trained to use their own lived experience with addiction to support others’ journey in recovery, assist people in recovery as they navigate systems, and explore resources in order to live fulfilling lives in the community. Recovery coaching is not a clinical service. Learn more.
Enduring Connections
Enduring Connections is a pilot program for families seeking a new way to support a loved one experiencing mental health challenges. The program offers sustained, respectful, flexible, and compassionate support for individuals and families. We welcome families whose loved ones have not benefited from clinical interventions and/or whose experiences with institutional systems and settings have eroded trust and created feelings of desperation. Learn more.
