Bell Justin S, Hagaman Angela, Beattey Justin, Fears Gina, White William L, Watson Dennis P
Lighthouse Institute, Chestnut Health Systems, 221 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL 60610, USA.
East Tennessee State University Addiction Science Center, 2109 West Market Street, Johnson City, TN 37604, USA.
J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2025 Mar;170:209612. doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2024.209612. Epub 2024 Dec 20.
Over the past two decades, peer support providers have increasingly formalized their roles in the addiction treatment workforce through credentialing and professionalization efforts. Despite these advancements, misconceptions regarding their professional identity persist and contribute to challenges such as burnout and high turnover. This commentary underscores the importance of viewing the peer workforce as an emerging profession using a lens that has previously been applied to other healthcare service roles. We outline key milestones in the peer workforce's professional development and ongoing labor advocacy efforts by state and national organizations. We call for a comprehensive research agenda that addresses workforce outcomes, workplace dynamics, and role competencies. Such efforts are crucial for advancing the recognition and support of peers as an integral component of the behavioral healthcare workforce.
在过去二十年中，同伴支持提供者通过认证和专业化努力，在成瘾治疗工作队伍中的角色日益正规化。尽管取得了这些进展，但对其职业身份的误解依然存在，并导致了诸如职业倦怠和高离职率等挑战。本评论强调了以先前应用于其他医疗服务角色的视角，将同伴工作队伍视为一个新兴职业的重要性。我们概述了同伴工作队伍职业发展的关键里程碑，以及州和国家组织正在进行的劳工倡导努力。我们呼吁制定一项全面的研究议程，以解决劳动力成果、工作场所动态和角色能力等问题。这些努力对于推动将同伴视为行为健康护理劳动力不可或缺的一部分的认可和支持至关重要。
