What Is Peer Recovery Coaching, and How Does It Complement Therapy?

Understanding the unique role peer coaches play alongside clinical treatment.

Peer recovery coaching is one of the more misunderstood pieces of mental health and substance use care, largely because it doesn't fit neatly into 'therapy' or 'medical treatment.' Here's what it actually is.

Lived Experience as the Foundation

A Certified Peer Recovery Coach has their own personal experience with mental health or substance use recovery. That lived experience shapes how they support others — not through clinical technique, but through understanding what recovery actually feels like day to day.

What a Peer Coach Does

• Offers person-driven, non-judgmental support

• Helps set and work toward recovery goals

• Provides accountability between clinical appointments

• Connects people to community resources and support networks

How It Complements Clinical Care

Therapy and medication management happen in structured sessions, often weeks apart. A peer coach can fill the space in between — the day someone's motivation dips, the moment a craving hits, the week that feels harder than expected — with support that doesn't require waiting for a scheduled appointment.

On Its Own or Combined

Peer recovery services can be used on their own or alongside other MYINDSET programs like medication management or therapy, and are covered by most commercial insurance plans and Medicaid.