The Power of Peers in Recovery and Spiritual Emergence
Learn how peer specialists help support healing and recovery in rehab centers, clinics, and hospitals through expert video interviews, short articles, and respite home resources. Includes 1 CE unit.
About this course
Peer Specialists and Peer Respites can offer powerful, compassionate support for people moving through extreme states, as well as for the families who care about them. In this short mini-course, you’ll learn what Peer Specialists and Respite Homes are, why they matter, and how to find them. Through unique video interviews and carefully selected articles vetted by an expert, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how peer-based support can help people facing spiritual emergency, addiction, and other mental health challenges.
What makes Peer Specialists especially effective is that they have often lived through these kinds of experiences themselves. Because they have “been there,” they are often able to connect more authentically, respond with less fear, and offer a kind of support that feels deeply human and grounded. Their presence can help speed recovery, reduce distress for both individuals and families, and in some cases lessen the need for hospitalization or psychiatric medication.
This course also introduces the role of Peer Respites and Respite Homes as safer, more supportive alternatives or complements to conventional mental healthcare settings. You’ll explore how trained Peer Specialists are helping reshape mental healthcare into something more humane, more relational, less costly, and more rooted in community.
This 5-minute mini-course is online and available now. You can move through the materials at your own pace, choose the lessons you want to watch or read, and return to the course anytime with unlimited access.
Learning Objectives
Explain what a Peer Specialist is and how they can support both individuals and families
Describe the principles and guidelines Peer Specialists follow in mental healthcare settings
Identify the range of services and support Peer Specialists can provide
Explain what a Respite House is, what kind of care it offers, and how to locate one
Recognize how peer support can complement, and in some cases reduce reliance on, conventional psychiatric care
Describe how peer-based approaches can contribute to more humane, community-based mental healthcare
Syllabus
Full Course Video
Introduction to Peer Specialists and Peer Respites- What a Peer Specialist is and why lived experience matters
- How Peer Specialists support people in extreme states, addiction, and spiritual emergency
- Guidelines and principles Peer Specialists follow in mental healthcare
- How to find Peer Specialists and Peer Respites
Your Instructor
Emma Bragdon, PhD
Dr. Emma Bragdon is a pioneer in body–mind–spirit wellness with 50 years of experience in integrative approaches to mental health, healing, and human development. She has written seven books, co-produced two documentary films, and has taught experiential learning for adults since 1985. Emma volunteered with the Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN) for seven years, editing their journal and coordinating conferences at Esalen Institute with founders Stanislav and Christina Grof. Her PhD dissertation, "How to Support Someone in Spiritual Emergency," launched a lifelong specialization in this field. From 2001–2012, she conducted field research at Spiritist Community Centers and Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil, studying their 120-year-old model of integrative care. Since 2012, she has served as "ambassador" to non-Brazilians for the Spiritist Psychiatric Hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, facilitating seminars for health professionals worldwide.
About Continuing Education Credits
For licensed health professionals seeking CE credits for license renewal
CE Provider Information
Level 2: CE credits are provided by Westbrook University, an APA-approved continuing education provider for healthcare professionals.