NCPRSS flashcards
NCPRSS · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Lived experience requirement
- Peer recovery support specialists are qualified primarily by their own experience of substance use or mental health recovery, combined with formal training and certification, rather than by clinical credentials.
- Reciprocity in peer support
- A defining feature of peer support in which both participants give and receive help, creating a mutual relationship rather than a one-directional expert-to-recipient service.
- Multiple pathways to recovery
- The principle that recovery can occur through many routes, including medication-assisted recovery, 12-step programs, faith-based approaches, and secular or harm-reduction models, all equally respected.
- Peer role scope
- Peer workers provide connection, modeling, and practical support but do not diagnose, provide clinical treatment, or give clinical advice, which belong to licensed practitioners.
- Confidentiality exceptions
- Limits to confidentiality that typically include imminent danger to self or others, suspected child or vulnerable adult abuse, and valid court orders, with exact scope set by law.
- Dual relationship
- A situation in which the peer holds another significant role with the person served, such as family member, employer, or landlord, requiring disclosure and active management.
- Boundary crossing vs violation
- A boundary crossing is a minor, sometimes therapeutic deviation from usual role limits; a boundary violation exploits or harms the person and is always unethical.
- Purposeful self-disclosure
- Sharing one's own recovery experience briefly and deliberately to instill hope or build connection, never to process the peer's own issues or seek sympathy.
- Mandated reporting
- A legal duty to report suspected abuse or neglect of children or vulnerable adults, which overrides confidentiality promises and must be explained in advance.
- OARS skills
- Four core motivational interviewing microskills: Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, and Summaries, used to guide conversation toward the person's own reasons for change.
- Change talk
- Statements by the person expressing desire, ability, reasons, need, commitment, or steps toward change; these predict actual behavior change and should be elicited and reflected.
- Righting reflex
- The helper's automatic urge to correct, advise, or fix; it typically increases resistance and is managed by reflecting instead of arguing or persuading.
- Rolling with resistance
- Responding to resistance with reflection, affirmation, and empathy rather than confrontation or correction, avoiding power struggles and preserving the working alliance.
- Stages of change
- A cycle describing readiness to change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and sometimes relapse, with interventions matched to the current stage.
- Person-first language
- Non-stigmatizing wording that puts the person before the condition, such as person with a substance use disorder, reducing shame and supporting engagement in care.
- Warm handoff
- A direct, personal connection to a referred service in which the peer introduces the person to the provider, shares only consented information, and confirms follow-up.
- Release of information
- Written, informed, time-limited consent specifying which information may be shared with which agency, required before a peer contacts another provider on the person's behalf.
- Levels of advocacy
- Case advocacy supports one individual, systemic advocacy changes policies or practices, and self-advocacy builds the person's own capacity to speak and act for themselves.
- Recovery housing options
- Residential settings such as peer-run homes, sober living environments, and Oxford House models that differ in structure, cost, and support level and are matched to individual needs.
- SMART goals
- A goal-setting standard requiring goals to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, then broken into small steps that build early success.
- Recovery capital
- The total resources a person can draw on for recovery, categorized as social, physical, human, and cultural capital, used to build strengths-based plans.
- Relapse prevention plan
- A written, person-authored plan naming personal triggers, early warning signs, coping strategies, and specific people and places to contact when risk rises.
- Person-directed recovery plan
- A plan in which the person served identifies their own goals and the peer supports the process, rather than the peer or program imposing objectives.
- Direct suicide inquiry
- Asking plainly about suicidal thoughts, plan, intent, means, and prior attempts; evidence shows asking does not increase risk and is necessary for safety planning.
- Naloxone response steps
- Recognize overdose signs such as pinpoint pupils and slowed breathing, call emergency services, administer naloxone if trained, support breathing, and stay until help arrives.
- Collaborative safety plan
- A plan developed with the person listing warning signs, coping strategies, distracting people and places, people to ask for help, and steps to restrict lethal means.
- De-escalation techniques
- Crisis communication approaches including reducing stimulation, speaking calmly, keeping safe distance, offering choices, and avoiding argument with delusions or confrontations.
- Cultural humility
- An ongoing process of self-reflection and openness to each person's cultural identity, contrasted with treating cultural competence as a fixed, completed achievement.
- Six trauma-informed principles
- SAMHSA principles: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice, and choice; and attention to cultural, historical, and gender issues.
- Trauma universal precautions
- Applying trauma-informed practice to everyone rather than only to people with a known trauma history, assuming trauma is common and avoiding re-traumatization.
- Supervision functions
- Supervision serves administrative needs such as procedures and documentation, educational needs such as skills and knowledge, and supportive needs such as emotional strain and vicarious trauma.
- Objective progress note
- A timely, factual record including date, contact type and duration, the person's reported status, interventions used, progress toward goals, and the next-step plan.