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The SAMHSA Program to Advance Recovery Knowledge (SPARK) supports transformational, recovery-oriented change for every state, tribal, and territorial behavioral health system and promotes equitable access to recovery supports in the United States. This resource center includes current information focused on equitable recovery supports including recovery-oriented care, recovery supports and services, and recovery-oriented systems for people with mental health/substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders. If you have questions about these resources or suggestions for recovery resources to be added, please email the SPARK team. Learn more about SPARK and request training and technical assistance.
SAMHSA collaborated with federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local partners including peer specialists to develop the National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification, inclusive of substance use, mental health, and family peer certifications. These National Model Standards closely align with the needs of the behavioral health (peer) workforce, and subsequently, the over-arching goal of the national mental health strategy.
SAMHSA recognizes that people with lived experience are fundamental to improving mental health and substance use services and should be meaningfully involved in the planning, delivery, administration, evaluation, and policy development of services and supports to improve our processes and outcomes.
This Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) reviews the use of the three Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications used to treat OUD methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine and the other strategies and services needed to support recovery for people with OUD.
This issue brief presents recent data on prevalence of opioid misuse and death rates in the Black/AA population; contextual factors and challenges to prevention and treatment; innovative outreach and engagement strategies to connect people to evidence-based treatment; and the importance of community voice.
TIP 61 provides behavioral health professionals with practical guidance about Native American history, historical trauma, and critical cultural perspectives in their work with American Indian and Alaska Native clients.
Peer workers are emerging as important members of treatment teams. Help supervisors understand how to supervise peer workers in behavioral health services:
In 2015, SAMHSA led an effort to identify the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities leading to Core Competencies needed for peer workers in behavioral health services.