CRS Peer Support 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Person-first language in peer support means:
- Addressing clients by their first name only
- Using language that recognizes the person before their condition (e.g., 'person with a substance use disorder') (Correct answer)
- Prioritizing the peer specialist's lived experience over the client's
- Placing personal goals ahead of professional ethics
Correct answer: Using language that recognizes the person before their condition (e.g., 'person with a substance use disorder')
Person-first language separates identity from diagnosis, affirming the individual's humanity and reducing stigma.
Question 2: A peer specialist is asked by a supervisor to document that a client attended a session the specialist knows did not occur. The specialist should:
- Comply to maintain a good relationship with the supervisor
- Refuse and report the request through appropriate ethics or compliance channels (Correct answer)
- Document the session but note a discrepancy privately
- Ask the client to confirm attendance retroactively
Correct answer: Refuse and report the request through appropriate ethics or compliance channels
Falsifying documentation is unethical and potentially illegal; peer specialists are obligated to refuse and escalate such requests.
Question 3: Which mutual aid model is specifically designed for people in mental health recovery and emphasizes self-determination?
- SMART Recovery
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group (Correct answer)
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
Correct answer: NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group
NAMI Connection is a peer-led support group for adults with mental illness that centers self-determination and mutual support without a 12-step framework.
Question 4: What does 'recovery-oriented system of care' (ROSC) primarily emphasize?
- Acute clinical treatment as the sole pathway to recovery
- Abstinence-only approaches mandated by law
- A coordinated network of services supporting long-term recovery across all life domains (Correct answer)
- Inpatient hospitalization for all individuals with substance use disorders
Correct answer: A coordinated network of services supporting long-term recovery across all life domains
ROSC focuses on building integrated, community-based systems that support sustained recovery across housing, employment, health, and social domains.
Question 5: A peer support specialist is working with a client who uses harm reduction strategies but is not abstinent. The peer specialist should:
- Refuse to work with the client until they commit to abstinence
- Support the client's goals regardless of whether they align with abstinence (Correct answer)
- Report the client to law enforcement for ongoing drug use
- Recommend inpatient detox as the only acceptable option
Correct answer: Support the client's goals regardless of whether they align with abstinence
Peer support is non-judgmental and meets clients where they are; harm reduction is a valid recovery pathway that deserves equal support.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of appropriate peer specialist advocacy?
- Making clinical decisions on behalf of a client without consulting the treatment team
- Helping a client understand their rights and navigate the treatment system (Correct answer)
- Bypassing confidentiality rules to share information with family members
- Discouraging a client from filing a grievance against a provider
Correct answer: Helping a client understand their rights and navigate the treatment system
Advocacy in peer support involves empowering clients to understand and exercise their rights within treatment systems.
Question 7: What is the PRIMARY distinction between a peer support specialist and a licensed mental health clinician?
- Peer specialists earn higher wages and hold more authority
- Peer specialists draw on lived experience with recovery as a core competency, while clinicians rely on academic training (Correct answer)
- Peer specialists diagnose conditions and clinicians provide emotional support
- There is no meaningful distinction between the two roles
Correct answer: Peer specialists draw on lived experience with recovery as a core competency, while clinicians rely on academic training
The defining feature of peer support is the use of shared lived experience to build rapport and offer hope, which is distinct from clinical training and licensure.
CRS Peer Support 4
Person-first language in peer support means: