Peer Professional Trainings
Want to become a Certified Peer Recovery Professional? Launch your journey with confidence through our CARC/CRPA approved program to complete your foundational requirements as well as renewal certification.
Want to Become a Certified Peer Recovery Professional?
Are you Ready? Join Lisa & Sandy today. Whether you are beginning your peer support journey or looking to grow your practice, we are here to walk with you.
Join a community of passionate professionals and compassionate leaders. Whether you are stepping into peer work for the first time or deepening your impact, we are here to guide you forward from training to certification.
📥 See below to Download the Free Peer Professional Guide PDF
Are you ready to start your career as a Certified Peer Recovery Advocate (CRPA) or Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC)? Our Peer Professional Guide is your essential roadmap to success.
In this comprehensive and easy-to-follow PDF, you’ll discover:
✔️ Clear steps for CRPA and CARC certification
✔️ Required training hours and course options
✔️ Tips on funding, scholarships, and state approval
✔️ Volunteer and work experience pathways
✔️ Insight into peer roles across behavioral health, recovery, and justice systems
Whether you’re just beginning or already on your journey, this guide empowers you with the knowledge to navigate your peer professional pathway with confidence.
Download the Free Peer Professional Guide PDF
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Advocate or Addiction Recovery Coach
This pdf will give answers to your questions and be a guide to navigating the pathway to becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Advocate (CRPA) or Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC).
We are here to help! Don’t go the journey alone. Join a collaborative community!
Email us with any questions you may have. We look forward to supporting your recovery professional journey!
👉 Contact us to schedule a free information session.
We Are Experts In The Fundamentals You Will Need
Recovery Coach Academy
Learn what is covered in this training, who should take this course, and why you should choose us.
Ethical Considerations
Learn what is covered in this training, who should take this course, and why you should choose us.
Our Trainings
The fundamental courses required to complete your initial Peer Certification are offered multiple times a year to fit your schedule! Explore the upcoming trainings below.
Learn about our trainings
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This 30 hour foundational training equips individuals with the core competencies to serve as effective Recovery Coaches. Participants learn to actively listen, remove personal agendas, support all recovery pathways, and empower individuals on their unique journey. Ideal for those pursuing peer certification or enhancing their professional role in recovery support. Required for NYS Certification as CRPA/CARC.n text goes here
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A must-have for anyone serving in a peer support role, this course provides an in-depth look at boundaries, confidentiality, dual relationships, and professional conduct. Through interactive scenarios and real-world applications, peers gain tools to navigate ethical dilemmas with clarity, integrity, and compassion. A required course for NYS CRPA and CARC certification
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This 4-hour non-clinical, peer-centered training explores how medications can support recovery from substance use. Participants will examine personal values, reduce stigma, and learn how to use Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Radical Acceptance to support individuals using MSR. This course helps build professional recovery capital and improve peer engagement around medication-based recovery. This is a required course for certification in NYS as a CRPA or CARC.
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Motivational Interviewing (4 hr)
Motivational Interviewing for Criminal Justice (CSJR)
Cultural Competence (12 hours)
Harm Reduction
Resiliency and Wellness (3 hour)
CCAR Coachervision
CCAR Spirituality
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We provide optional professional development services to support your certification journey and practice—these are available for an additional fee or included for scholarship recipients:
🔹 Foundational Peer Recovery Trainings
CRPA & CARC certification pathways
Evidence-based curriculum rooted in adult learning principles
🔹 Specialized Elective Trainings
Family Support
Criminal Justice Peer Support
Medication Supported Recovery (MSR)
Motivational Interviewing for Peer Professionals and Criminal Justice Professionals
Motivational Interviewing 4 hour on-demand training
🔹 Volunteer Site Placement Support (CRPA)
Assistance securing 500-hour experience sites for CRPA credentialing
🔹 25 Hours of CRPA Supervision (CRPA)
Monthly coaching group fulfilling NYCB’s supervision requirement in a supportive, skill-focused environment
🔹 Assistance in Preparing for the CRPA Examination
🔹 Business Coaching for CARC Professionals
Guidance to help CARC graduates start their own coaching practice or consulting business, using ethical, person-centered approaches
Contact support@apurpose4life.com for more information.
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We’re committed to reducing barriers to entry. A limited number of scholarships are available for eligible applicants. Scholarship recipients receive all the above services at no additional cost.
👉 Contact us to learn more and apply.
What They’re Saying
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Susan says...
“I wish I had this training a long time ago! This training is the best training I have ever had. It provides the interviewing skills I need to help others. It is applicable to so many different public facing careers, too. I can even see how MI can help me communicate with my teenager in a more positive way. Thanks so much!”
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K from Syracuse says...
“This is a great way to learn the fundamentals of a positive and meaningful interactions with others..”
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Arielle from Syracuse says...
“Lisa and Sandy are genuine and you could tell how much they believe in the material they are training. The use of activities and conversation kept me engaged and interested.”
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Stacy - RCA July
The class was a wonderful balance of teaching, discourse, and engaging activities. I thought the topics were intentional and helpful. These two facilitators are a treat to work with. They make such a comfortable safe space for learning and sharing experiences. The class was so interactive. The time really flew by! The amount of knowledge and life experience these instructors have working different roles in addiction recovery, is immeasurable. I truly appreciated being able to learn from them. I look forward to taking more courses with A Purpose 4 Life in the future! -Stacy Potter
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Katrina - RCA Participant
I truly enjoyed participating in the CCAR training. Lisa and Sandy are an incredible wealth of knowledge, and they created a non-judgmental, welcoming environment that allowed all of us peers to feel safe, supported, and engaged throughout the training. I especially appreciated the breakout sessions and the opportunity to collaborate with fellow peers on meaningful topics. The supportive atmosphere made it easy for me to step outside of my comfort zone and fully participate in discussions and activities. This training not only provided valuable insight and practical tools, but it also helped me grow both personally and professionally. I would highly recommend this training to anyone looking to expand their knowledge and begin or enhance their journey in the field of recovery support.
Meet The Team
A Purpose 4 Life is partnering with Authentic Trainings, and our team is more than just facilitators and instructors! We are peer champions, recovery professionals, educators, and coaches who walk alongside you every step of the way.
With lived experience, clinical expertise, and a deep passion for empowering others, our team brings training to life with heart, wisdom, and real-world relevance. Whether you're pursuing your CRPA, CARC, or expanding your skills, you’ll be supported by people who truly understand the journey. We’re here to ensure you don’t just complete a course—you grow in confidence, purpose, and impact. Meet the people behind your success below.
Lisa Marie Ardner
Steven Parkis
Sandra Rivers
Ruth Riddick
TEAM BIOS
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Founder | A Purpose 4 Life, LLC
With over 20 years of clinical experience in the field of substance use disorders, Lisa Ardner brings a powerful combination of professional expertise, lived experience, and personal passion to her work training and mentoring peer professionals. She holds a Master’s in Adult Learning and is certified as a CARC (Certified Addiction Recovery Coach), Professional Christian Life Coach (PCLC), Recovery Coach Professional (RCP), and Recovery Coach Professional Facilitator (RCPF).
Lisa is a Best Practice Trainer (BPT) through Friends of Recovery NY (FOR-NY). As a NYS OASAS-approved trainer and a member of the New York Certification Board (NYCB) Trainer Registry, Lisa offers a wide range of trainings—from foundational peer recovery to specialized workshops in motivational interviewing, trauma, cultural competence, wellness/resilience, self-care, criminal justice, and family engagement.
She is a Certified MINT® Trainer and a proud member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), dedicated to advancing evidence-based, person-centered practices. Lisa co-facilitates a monthly Motivational Interviewing Community of Practice and is an active member of the CNY Motivational Interviewing Learning Collaborative.
A passionate advocate for peer-led transformation, Lisa is known for her compassionate presence, relational teaching style, and heartfelt commitment to equipping others to lead with empathy, excellence, and purpose. Her work empowers individuals to grow in confidence, use their lived experience with intention, and become influential change agents in recovery support systems.
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Founder | AUTHENTIC TRAININGS LLC
As the founder of Authentic Trainings, Sandy has decades of clinical experience in substance use disorder, sexual abuse, and trauma.
As a clinician, she noticed that evidence-based practices rooted in practical, person-centered approaches led to the best client outcomes. She further noted that these same skills led to lower rates of burnout among her colleagues.
When she noticed a deficit in workforce education focused on these skills, she pursued a master’s degree in adult education, and she founded Authentic Trainings to fill that void.
Sandy holds various certifications, including Trauma Debriefing, Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist, Trauma Champion, and Advanced Motivational Interviewing Trainer. She’s a member of the NYCB Trainer Registry.
At Authentic Trainings, she develops customized training solutions to meet the growing needs of professionals in the fields mental health, criminal justice, substance use disorder, and more to increase client engagement and retention.
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Ruth Riddick, CARC, RCP/f, RTR-S, recipient of the 2024 NYS Justice Peer Initiative Impact Award in Training & Development, is an experienced trainer offering custom coaching and communications programs.
With personal insight into long-term addiction recovery, a distinguished training practice of more than 20 years, and specialized credentialing experience and expertise
Ruth serves on the Advisory Board of the International Association of Recovery Coach Professionals (IARCP) and on the Board of the New York Association of Treatment Court Professionals (NYATCP), both commitments dating from 2022. She presents at the annual NYATCP conference among other regular public commitments.
Ruth is a member of NAADAC, the association for addiction professionals.
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Steven is a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC) and the “Tech Genius” behind A Purpose 4 Life. He is an integral part of our operations, bringing reliability, problem-solving, and a calm, solutions-focused presence to everything from behind-the-scenes systems to live training support.
Steven is interning with A Purpose 4 Life and Authentic Trainings, LLC as a facilitator and trainer-in-training. He is gaining hands-on experience in training delivery, participant engagement, and professional development facilitation. He supports the full training lifecycle by helping sessions run smoothly, using technology to strengthen learning, and keeping our programs accessible, organized, and high-quality.
Steven’s combined strengths in peer recovery coaching and technology make him a unique asset to our team. His internship reflects our commitment to developing emerging leaders who can support peers, strengthen systems, and elevate the impact of our training across the community.
Contact Steven at support@apurpose4life.com.