Peer Support Services

The value of lived-experience in achieving recovery is an essential facet of what we do. TDMHSAS has multiple programs in this field which employ Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRS) to help people along their recovery journey.  CPRS are also employed by our community partners to bring their "I've been where you are, you can do it!" spirit to help others along the journey.

There are 10 Lifeline coordinators serving regions state wide and 10 hybrid Lifeline coordinators focusing on rural, distressed counties.  Lifeliners have referred more than 30,000 people to treatment services and created 800 recovery meetings in the last decade.

Tennessee Recovery Navigators are people in long-term recovery who meet patients who have recently overdosed in the emergency department and connect them with the substance abuse treatment and recovery services they need.   The TN Recovery Navigators have worked with 18,000+ patients since the program began.

The TDMHSAS Office of Faith-Based Initiatives is working to mobilize people of faith across the state to view behavioral health conditions as treatable diseases rather than moral failings. They're also working to mobilize the great resources of houses of faith to create places for hope and healing.  Since 2014, the initiative has certified more than 1,100 Faith-Based Recovery Partners.

There are more than 1,500 currently active CPRS across the state working in all types of settings to improve outcomes for people on the journey of recovery and wellness.