Join the SAMHSA Program to Advance Recovery Knowledge (SPARK) initiative this summer for a webinar series for behavioral health professionals and providers working in recovery and peer-run organizations. You are welcome to attend any or all events. To register, click on the links below:
Financing Models and Federal Resources for Enhancing and Sustaining Peer-Run and Recovery Organizations
Thursday, July 24, 2–3:30 p.m. ET
This webinar will provide practical strategies for implementing braided funding and innovative payment models to support peer-run organizations. Expert panelists will discuss the benefits and challenges of value-based payment and braided funding, highlighting the unique opportunities for peer-run community organizations to leverage these models to provide more comprehensive and coordinated care. The event will equip attendees with the knowledge and resources to secure sustainable funding and improve the delivery of peer recovery support and crisis respite services.
Employment Supports: Advancing Opportunities for Recovery
Thursday, July 31, 2–3:30 p.m. ET
This webinar will explore the critical role of employment in the recovery journey for persons with lived and living experience receiving behavioral health services. Participants will learn about effective strategies and evidence-based practices for supporting individuals in securing and maintaining meaningful employment, including individualized career planning and skill-building, workplace accommodations, therapeutic interventions, peer support, and community partnerships. Participants will gain actionable tools to enhance employment support services, ultimately empowering individuals to increase their recovery capital, achieve financial stability, promote social connectedness, and foster long-term recovery.
Intergenerational Family Substance Misuse & Recovery
Thursday, August 7, 2–3:30 p.m. ET
This webinar will focus on intergenerational family engagement in recovery efforts. Participants will explore the complexity of intergenerational substance misuse, practical approaches to enhance family member engagement in their own recovery practices, promote resilience, and address the unique challenges families face when caring for loved ones who may be actively misusing substances or in recovery. This session emphasizes the importance of recovery-oriented practices that prioritize family well-being and access to supports. By attending, participants will gain actionable strategies to foster collaboration, improve outcomes for families and individuals in recovery, and build stronger, more connected support networks.
Science of Addiction and Recovery—A Father’s Perspective
Thursday, August 14, 2–3:30 p.m. ET
This session explores the science of opioid addiction and withdrawal for direct service providers, equipping them with knowledge to better support fathers in recovery. The session is presented from a “user” perspective by fathers in recovery. It will provide an accessible and easy to understand evidence-based look at how addiction impacts the brain and hijacks the reward system, the challenges of withdrawal and long-term abstinence for persons with opioid use disorder (OUD), the impact of subcultures and stigma on treatment and recovery, and the role of trauma and mental health in sustained recovery.
For more info and to ask questions, email SPARK.
