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Penn State Mont Alto Offers Certified Recovery Specialist/Certified Family Recovery Specialist Program

MONT ALTO, Pa. — Penn State Mont Alto is currently accepting registrations for its Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS)/Certified Family Recovery Specialist (CFRS) program starting May 19.

CRS is a credential for individuals with personal, lived experience in their own substance use disorder recovery. By offering insight into the recovery process based on their own experience, recovery specialists can provide a unique perspective while providing recovery support services.

CFRS is a credential for individuals who have been directly impacted by a family member or a loved one’s substance abuse. The CFRS shares their lived experience with other families to provide recovery support services. 

Participants will receive training in the following topics: history of recovery and substance use disorder,  multiple definitions of recovery, the role of the recovery specialist, communication and professional skills, motivational interviewing, stages of change, ethical responsibility and professionalism, substance use knowledge, co-occurring disorders and mental health knowledge, recovery planning and collaboration, non-clinical recovery support groups, digital recovery support, advocacy, cultural competency, and safety and self-care.

This 66-hour, in-person training is designed to meet the educational requirements as set forth by the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) and prepare individuals to sit for the CRS or CFRS exam.

Penn State Mont Alto, in collaboration with Franklin County and Franklin Fulton Drug and Alcohol, will provide CRS/CFRS training May 19 through June 26; class times and days are 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays at 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

Individuals from Franklin and Fulton counties may receive financial assistance totaling 80 percent of the registration cost of $1,125.00.

For more information about CRS/CFRS, log onto montalto.psu.edu/crs or call 717-749-4117.