Measuring What Matters in Peer Support: Using Competencies and Fidelity to Strengthen the Workforce

• By: Megan Evans, PhD Kristine Irizarry, MBA Sai Snigdha Talluri, PhD, CRC, LPC Graziela Reis, MPH, BS Chyrell D. Bellamy, PhD, MSW Yale School of Medicine
• April 21st, 2026
• behavioral health research, core competencies, fidelity measurement, peer fidelity, peer support, peer support measure, peer workforce development, recovery-oriented care, Spring 2026 Issue, supervision, training
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Introduction: The Next Phase of Peer Support Development Peer support, a cornerstone of recovery-oriented behavioral healthcare, is a rapidly expanding service model nationally. Delivered by individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges, substance use, trauma, or disability, peer...

Implementing and Sustaining Peer Support: The Recovery Workforce Learning Collaborative (RWLC)

• By: Maria E. Restrepo-Toro, BSN, MS Chyrell D. Bellamy, PhD, MSW Graziela Reis, MPH, BS Sai Snigdha Talluri, PhD, CRC, LPC Megan Evans, PhD Yale School of Medicine
• April 21st, 2026
• appreciative inquiry, learning collaborative, lived experience, organizational readiness, peer support, recovery supports, recovery-oriented care, Spring 2026 Issue, systems change, workforce development
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The integration of peer recovery support specialists represents a significant shift in behavioral health systems. Peers offer unique perspectives and authenticity that strengthen recovery-oriented systems of care (Davidson et al., 2021). Drawing on lived experience, they bring insights that support...