{"id":23841,"date":"2021-09-08T16:37:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T20:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:22:57","slug":"new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/","title":{"rendered":"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

June Savageau, CEO of the North East Independent Living Program, is partnering with the college to offer a program to provide training for peer recovery specialists.<\/p><\/div>\n

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (September 14, 2021) Northern Essex Community College and the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) of Lawrence and Lowell are partnering on a new certificate program<\/a> that will prepare individuals who are in sustained recovery from mental illness, addiction, and trauma for careers as peer recovery specialists. The college is accepting applications now for the program, which will begin in January of 2022.<\/p>\n

Using their own personal lived experience, peer recovery specialists, are trained to help others who are in early recovery. Hospitals, correctional facilities, schools, residential programs and more employ peer recovery specialists and they work with all ages from children to seniors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an upwards of 15% job vacancy rates at many non-profit agencies serving our communities with people with disabilities.\u201d says June Sauvageau, CEO of Northeast Independent Living Program and a member of the college\u2019s Human Services Advisory Board. \u201cThis program will provide an academic gateway for people with lived experience and also help us address the challenge of finding qualified people to fill these important roles in our organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 16-credit program<\/a> will cover the addiction-recovery cycle, 12-step and other self-help recovery organizations, community resources, working with diverse populations, engagement with clients, relapse prevention techniques, coping skills training, and how to navigate the health care system. The program includes a 150-hour practicum placement with a local agency.<\/p>\n

Credits earned can be transferred to the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Certificate<\/a> or Human Services Associate Degree<\/a> at Northern Essex or to a four-year bachelor\u2019s degree program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen students complete this program, they will be prepared to work professionally with those needing assistance with recovery or accessing resources,\u201d says Brian MacKenna-Rice, NECC human services program coordinator. \u201cThere\u2019s a great need for people with these skills. Just about any agency that deals with people with disabilities has peer support positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northern Essex offers an\u00a0Associate Degree in Human Services<\/a>\u00a0as well as certificates in\u00a0alcohol\/drug abuse counseling,\u00a0children\u2019s behavioral health specialist<\/a>,\u00a0community support human services practitioner<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0direct support<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Northeast Independent Living Program Inc. is the only Independent Living Center in Massachusetts with a Dept. of Mental Health funded Recovery Learning Community. The Northeast Recovery Learning Community (NERLC) is a\u00a0peer-to-peer support community comprised of survivors of mental health diagnoses, traumas, and addictions. NERLC supports individuals on their journey to obtaining and maintaining wellness in the community and promotes the reality of recovery for all.\u00a0Services are free to the community.<\/p>\n

To learn more, contact Brian MacKenna-Rice at\u00a0bmackennarice@necc.mass.edu<\/p>\n

Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers\u00a0approximately\u00a060\u00a0associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.\u00a0 Each year,\u00a06,000\u00a0students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and\u00a0another 2,000\u00a0take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.\u00a0 For more information, visit the website at\u00a0www.necc.mass.edu\u00a0or call 978-556-3700.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NECC and the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) of Lawrence and Lowell are partnering on a new certificate program that will prepare individuals who are in sustained recovery from mental illness, addiction, and trauma for careers as peer recovery specialists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[497],"class_list":["post-23841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs","tag-peer-recovery-specialists"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists - NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NECC and the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) of Lawrence and Lowell are partnering on a new certificate program that will prepare individuals who are in sustained recovery from mental illness, addiction, and trauma for careers as peer recovery specialists.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-08T20:37:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-13T19:22:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ernie Greenslade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ernie Greenslade\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/\",\"name\":\"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists - NECC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-08T20:37:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-13T19:22:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/6a4640513b41a61d0435b6972d4577c9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/home\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/\",\"name\":\"NECC News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/6a4640513b41a61d0435b6972d4577c9\",\"name\":\"Ernie Greenslade\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/75ae84652c63c20fe24eb5858c280eb011192a5104499880542d7f8dfd6ef2c9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/75ae84652c63c20fe24eb5858c280eb011192a5104499880542d7f8dfd6ef2c9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ernie Greenslade\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/egreenslade\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists - NECC News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists - NECC News","og_description":"NECC and the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) of Lawrence and Lowell are partnering on a new certificate program that will prepare individuals who are in sustained recovery from mental illness, addiction, and trauma for careers as peer recovery specialists.","og_url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/","og_site_name":"NECC News","article_published_time":"2021-09-08T20:37:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-13T19:22:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ernie Greenslade","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ernie Greenslade","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/","url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/","name":"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists - NECC News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-08T20:37:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-13T19:22:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/6a4640513b41a61d0435b6972d4577c9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/June-cropped.jpg","width":1600,"height":1600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/09\/08\/new-certificate-program-addresses-need-for-peer-recovery-specialists\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New Certificate Program Addresses Need for Peer Recovery Specialists"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/","name":"NECC News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/6a4640513b41a61d0435b6972d4577c9","name":"Ernie Greenslade","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/75ae84652c63c20fe24eb5858c280eb011192a5104499880542d7f8dfd6ef2c9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/75ae84652c63c20fe24eb5858c280eb011192a5104499880542d7f8dfd6ef2c9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ernie Greenslade"},"url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/egreenslade\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23842,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23841\/revisions\/23842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}