Services
Mentoring and Coaching
On an individual and group basis for participants as they learn to set goals, develop and implement action plans, manage negative emotions, and overcome challenges and self-doubt.
Group Activities
Designed to provide healthy alternatives to a return to old behaviors.
Acupuncture Treatments
(group and individual) by qualified practitioners – shown to reduce cravings and drug hunger and to help relieve anxiety and insomnia characteristic of early sobriety.
Naloxone Training
Now of special importance to reduce the risk of fatality due to drug overdose. Family members and others can be taught to respond promptly and effectively in the event of an overdose emergency.
Screening and Intake for Treatment
Appropriate screening prior assures the best and most appropriate level of care and guards against misuse of limited funds and resources. Peer support can help improve motivation and engagement in the treatment process.
Likewise, RFTC uses an evidence-based strategy known as Brief Intervention and Referral (SBIRT) to serve the community by reaching out to those with SUD and COD who present at medical clinics or Emergency Rooms or who are in acute care facilities, encouraging them to get help for their problem behaviors. SBIRT has been shown to help communities interrupt the ‘revolving door’ of repeat visits and costly medical services.
Clothing and Food Bank
RFTC offers assistance in meeting basic needs with respect to health, wellness, and nutrition. Without such assistance, people in need can find it a challenge to fully stabilize in recovery. This is important in the public health sense because those with chronic medical or psychiatric problems often need assistance to stay compliant with medication or scheduled visits with physicians and practitioners. A CPSW can help maintain such regimens, improve compliance, and enhance overall outcomes.
Community Outreach Services
Community outreach (includes to the homeless), advocacy, and engagement activities starting where the person is, both in terms of what their immediate needs are.
Detention Center Outreach
Jail managers and staff often struggle with recidivism and return to incarceration. This is often driven by untreated substance use and co-occurring mental health problems. RFTC peers currently meet with selected persons identified as at risk to offer information, assistance, and links to appropriate care. Supportive relationships then continue post-release as the former inmate adjusts to a new lifestyle.
Who Becomes A Certified Peer Support Worker?
To qualify for training, an applicant must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or the equivalent, as well as:
- A current or former consumer of mental health and/or substance abuse services, with at least three full years of personal recovery.
- Have successfully completed training offered by the State Office of Peer Recovery and Engagement; and
- Completed 40 supervised hours of direct work with clients at an approved behavioral health agency.
Applicants must subsequently pass an examination administered by the New Mexico Credentialing Board for Behavioral Health Professionals.
All RFTC Peer Support staff are appropriately certified at the CPSW level. Training is ongoing, intended to further refine skills and ensure compliance with best practice. Sample topics include:
- Making Use of Natural and Community Supports
- Effective Personal Advocacy for Recovery
- Principles of Recovery and Resiliency
- Positive Sharing of Life Experiences
- Optimizing Engagement in Treatment and Self-Help
- Linking with Educational, Training and Vocational Opportunities
- Supporting the Consumer Who Has Lapsed/ Relapsed
- Ethics and Conduct for Peers
- Maintaining Healthy Boundaries in Peer Support Situations
- Best Practices in Peer Support Programming
- Protecting Consumer Confidentiality and Privacy
- Becoming a Culturally Sensitive Peer
- Interacting with Consumers around Issues of Medication
- Effective Parenting and Child Care
- Maintaining Health Through Good Eating and Sound Nutrition
- Understanding Trauma and Its Treatment
"Una Vida Buena y Sana | A Good and Healthful Life"
Recovery-Friendly Taos County envisions a community that promotes freedom from Substance Abuse by mobilizing individuals and community resources to overcome stigma, provide access to services, and support individual, family, and community recovery.
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