Spotlight on our newest Peer Support Specialist training class! TROSA’s treatment program emphasizes the importance of community and connection, and Peer Support Specialists help residents in our community navigate new lives in recovery.
Several times a year we offer the chance for TROSA senior residents and graduates to train for Peer Support Specialist certification. Pictured below are TROSA program participants from our January 2023 Peer Support Specialist training cohort with trainer Elliot Palmer (pictured: left) of NC H.O.P.E.
Class participants can use this training to apply for North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist certification. Peer Support Specialist certification can open up doors to rewarding careers in behavioral health.
Spotlight on TROSA Senior Residents
Our Peer Support Specialist training class participants are TROSA senior residents and graduates.
TROSA is designed as a thoughtfully-structured multi-year program. As residents advance through our program stages and approach graduation, they can choose to continue participating in our residential program beyond their two-year graduation date and are called senior residents. Senior residents stay in our program to complete their goals and to further strengthen their skill sets for living in recovery. Senior residents are also expected to serve as mentors to their peers in recovery, taking the lead on community projects as needed.
TROSA Graduate and Staff Member Kaszondra serves as TROSA’s Senior Resident Manager. Kaszondra is a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist herself. She helps all of our residents, but has a specific focus guiding our senior residents–individuals who have participated in TROSA’s residential program for at least 21 months.
Kaszondra ensures that our senior residents receive the services and support specific to their needs as they transition to this new stage in their recovery journey. “I let our senior residents know that I’m available to them for whatever they need,” she shares.
“I remind our residents that whatever they may be dealing with or going through, that I’m here to help and that TROSA is here to help. It’s also important for me to be there for the laughs. We go on senior resident outings and special trips. It’s important to participate as a community and to share that there’s so much to experience and look forward to in recovery.”