Peer Parent Trainings

Peer Parent Trainings

Peer Coach Training is a two-part, 24-hour, experiential course offered in person or live via Zoom. The training for parents with lived experience teaches the Partnership Model and prepares participants to be able to provide compassionate, family-centered peer support to others navigating a loved one’s substance use. Alongside live sessions, trainees also engage with our customized digital simulations and other activities to practice the skills and reinforce learning.

Course Type:

Live (Virtual)

Audience:

Families

Instructors:

Yoyce Geronimo Galván, M.A., Deborah Drache, L.C.S.W./ACSW, and Kathleen Strain

Content Level:

Beginner

Learning Objectives

By taking this course, participants will:

Build foundational knowledge of substance use, behavior change, and evidence-informed family support strategies.
Learn communication and behavior tools that support connection and change
Navigate ambivalence and the ups and downs of a loved one’s recovery journey with new perspectives.
Learn the foundations and ethical principles of peer coaching.
Apply peer coaching frameworks and communication skills to real world scenarios.
Explore worldviews, assumptions, and reactions to build stronger connections with those they support.
Practice navigating common challenges that arise in coaching relationships.

Course Outline/Agenda

Part 1: The Partnership Model

Builds foundational knowledge of addiction, behavior change, and evidence-based family support strategies. 

Families Matter
Understanding Your Loved One’s Substance Use
Understanding and Caring for Yourself
Communicating and Connecting
Behavior Tools that Support Change
Understanding the Ups and Downs Journey

Part 2: The Art of Coaching

Focuses on how to coach effectively, applying communication and behavioral strategies in real-world scenarios.

Peer Coaching Essentials: Foundations and Ethical Principles
Peer Coaching Frameworks
Communication Skills for Effective Coaching
Understanding Worldviews: Foundations for Connection
Exploring Assumptions and Reactions
Navigating Challenges in Coaching

Your Instructors

Yoyce Geronimo Galvan, M.A.

Senior Director of Peer Support Services

Yoyce holds a Master of Arts in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. She has trained and supervised peer coaches, designed and led national programs that reached thousands of families navigating a loved one's substance use. She has also presented at national conferences across behavioral health, addiction medicine, and Latinx mental health, and has published in a peer reviewed journal.

Deborah Drache, L.C.S.W./ACSW

Senior Clinical Director of Family Services

Deborah Drache, L.C.S.W./ACSW Senior Clinical Director of Family Services, holds Masters degrees in Social Work and Non-Profit Management. Deborah has been serving at-risk youth and families for the duration of her career, in non-profit organizations and also in schools. Her clinical orientation is strength-based and collaborative, drawing from Motivational Interviewing and other client-centered practices. In her role at the Partnership, she serves families who reach out to the Helpline and also offers clinical support and training to over 50 active volunteers.

Kathleen Strain

Manager, Advocacy and Peer Services

Through lived family experience, Kathy becomes an avid mental health and substance use disorder advocate and educator at both the state and federal levels. She is involved with many grassroots organizations that focus on substance use and recovery. Kathy sits on several nonprofit and university advisory boards. Kathy has also served on official and ad hoc committees in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for opioid litigation. Additionally, she currently serves on a National Trust Advisory Committee, helping to oversee a portion of opioid litigation dollars. Kathy is a certified Adult Mental Health First Aid instructor, a Certified Family Recovery Specialist and a Certified Grief Educator.