Building an ARC: The training and emergence of Accredited Recovery Connectors (ARC) in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
August 20256
By David Best, Shelley Duffy, Adela Bunaciu
Graduation: On July the 14th 20206, ten people at various stages of their own recovery journeys graduated as Recovery Connectors at a recovery service in the heart of Newcastle.
This wonderfully diverse group of people had been recruited through four Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs) in Newcastle – Revival, The Road to Recovery Trust, the Recovery Church and PROPS (the family recovery support service).
They had already taken part in some preliminary training but committed to a 10-week course with assignments and home working linked to each session, and not only did 10 (of 12 people who started the course) graduate, but they also became a mutual support group for one another.
The graduation event was acknowledged by Dame Carol Black who sent a video message of congratulations and took place in front of an audience of around 50 people, including very proud family members and friends.
Recovery Connectors training
The graduates had completed an AIM-accredited Level 2 award course in peer mentoring that had been adapted to incorporate two bits of recovery science:
- Recovery Journaling
- Recovery Capital measurement
The idea had been inspired by the work of Dr Amy Krentzman of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work who has conducted research which showed benefits of journalling as a part of the recovery process, and who has been teaching and disseminating work in this area for a number of years (some of her citations are listed below this article).
Amy’s incredible and innovative work was combined with a model for mapping and measuring recovery capital and developing care planning. In essence the training was based on key stages around:
- Mapping assets for recovery in the community
- Assessing individuals’ strengths and needs
- Identifying and directing goals
At this point the ARC becomes the ‘human bridge’ between the person and the community resources necessary to achieve their goals, with the process underpinned by reflective journalling and planning. This journal is a combination of mapping work done in the Recovery Connections rehab in the North-East of England and Amy’s journalling and recovery capital mapping and building.
What the journal does is to provide a structure and an evidence-based core to the Recovery Connector process helping people to identify their strengths and goals and building their recovery practices and reflections through partnership and mentoring.
However, the intention is that the process of Recovery Connector support is a ‘positive sum game’ in which both the connector and the person they work with grow and learn from each other and build their individual and collective recovery capital. The process is based on one-to-one working and aims to create a bond of mutual trust and respect while working through activities that build personal, social and community capital.
The process of working through the journal will typically take around three months based on weekly sessions between the Connector and the person they are working with but this is a flexible process.
The bigger picture aim of the project is to create a cohort of recovery champions who can carry recovery contagion into the community by visibly demonstrating and living the benefits of recovery and spreading recovery through a structured and evidence-based process. The aim is that each Connector will start by working with one person in the community and those participants will potentially become the next generation and cohort of students to train to become Recovery Connectors. Thanks to the support and foresight of Newcastle City Council, the vision is to create, sustain and support a cohort of recovery champions who build recovery across the city and champion this approach.
So where do we go from here?
The next stage is the active rolling out of the process. Our ten Recovery Connectors are ready to go and we are waiting only for DBS checks and clearances, and to finalise the oversight and supervision processes as the Connectors work with their first journal participants. The biggest bonus of the group we have is the strength of the bond between them and the extent to which they have collectively become a new recovery asset for Newcastle supporting the existing LEROs and championing recovery across the city. The long-term vision is to build a city-wide cohort of recovery champions who are visible, attractive and accessible and who will create a recovery contagion across the city. We are also in advanced discussions to do the same thing in at least one prison in the north-east where exactly the same model will apply.
Reflections of participants:
"It was a real privilage to be a participant in this amazing programme of co-operative learning, with a group of fantastic training facilitators and wonderful peer recovery connectors. I am grateful for how the course helped in my personal development in acquiring and sharing recovery capital. I now feel better prepared to support others through this type of self-efficacy growth process." Gerard Corsane (Revival Newcastle)
“I found the course very informative with great learning and and feel grateful to be a part of such a great team of Recovery Connectors” (Kelly Smith, Recovery Church)
Reflections of the LERO leads:
“Being involved in the Recovery movement in Newcastle is incredibly exciting right now. There’s a real sense of momentum building across the city, and The Road to Recovery Trust is proud to be playing such a pivotal role in the training and emergence of the Accredited Recovery Connectors project. Over recent months, the ten Recovery Connectors have grown into a confident, skilled, and tightly connected team. Their commitment to lived experience, peer support, and community-led recovery shines through in everything they’ve done so far. They are already demonstrating the qualities that will make them a major recovery asset for Newcastle - strengthening pathways, widening access, and helping people not just to recover, but to truly Thrive in Recovery. This is what a vibrant, values-driven recovery community looks like: people supporting people, organisations working together, and lived experience being recognised as equal expertise. Newcastle is becoming a place where recovery is visible, celebrated, and woven into the fabric of the city. And this is only the beginning”.
Jimmy Dixon (CEO, Road To Recovery Trust)
“PROPS Specialist Family Service was honoured to celebrate the Recovery Connectors graduation. We’re proud to participate in the Recovery Connectors training initiative, reflecting our dedication to enhancing support for families affected by drug and alcohol use. Families and friends often experience significant anxiety and stress around the challenges their loved ones face and being able to offer an additional level of support with a trained Recovery Connector to provide an alternative, or indeed an introduction if needed, to traditional programmes for their loved ones enhances our wrap-around support to all family members. Through this collaboration, families can develop practical strategies that foster both individual and shared growth and confidence, strengthening communication, trust and cohesion while building Recovery Capital within the family unit and importantly, across communities”.
Helen Thompson (CEO, PROPS North East)
"Right now, we live in a world where it can seem hard to see hope. However, the recent emergence of the Revival Newcastle movement and the first cohort of Community Connectors is something to shout about! Community Connectors are community influencers who share their experience, strength and hope with others. They have a mission to support others to find and flourish in their recovery. They carry a message that healing, change, and freedom from addiction are truly possible. The team of Community Connectors are living proof to anyone feeling lost to their addiction that change and a new way of life is possible.
Community Connectors walk in solidarity with people who are in, or are seeking recovery. They enable individuals to connect with other people and organisations that enhance lives and broaden horizons. Their passion and commitment to bringing the message of recovery is infectious and inspiring and embodies everything that Revive Newcastle is trying to achieve.
Recovery Church is proud to be supporting the initiative and we feel humbled to work alongside such inspiring people and partners. This is what hope looks like." Jon Canessa, (Recovery Church)
References
Krentzman, A. R., Hoeppner, B. B., Hoeppner, S. S., & Barnett, N. P. Development, feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a positive psychology journaling intervention to support addiction recovery. (2022 online) The Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2022.2070531
Krentzman, A. R., Hoeppner, S. S., Hoeppner, B. B., & Barnett, N. P. (2024) A randomized feasibility study of a positive psychology journaling intervention to support recovery from substance use disorders. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2024.209410
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