Season 5, Episode 1: Peer Support in Substance Use Disorder Treatment

We are excited to kick off season 5 of the Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond podcast with two peer support extraordinaries, Cassie York and Cassie Burleson. This episode dives deeply into what it means to be a peer support specialist, discussing the unique role they fill in supporting people through recovery. Listen in to learn about how the Cassies’ lived experience has allowed them to be such incredible advocates for their patients, processes for becoming a peer support specialist, and more! Resources: North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist Program https://www.ncdhhs.gov/cpssapplicationprocess20240425/open North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist Program: https://pss.unc.edu/ Scannell C. (2021). Voices of Hope: Substance Use Peer Support in a System of Care. Substance abuse : research and treatment, 15, 11782218211050360. https://doi.org/10.1177/11782218211050360 Center for Health Care Strategies (Jan 2026). Peer Recovery Support Services in Substance Use Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.chcs.org/resource/peer-recovery-support-services-in-substance-use-treatment/ Eddie, D., O’Connor, J.B., George, S.S. et al. Peer Recovery Support Services and Recovery Coaching for Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review. Curr Addict Rep 12, 40 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-025-00645-8We would love your feedback on our podcast!  Please take our listener survey to provide your comments. Music credit: "Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Please provide feedback here:https://redcap.mahec.net/redcap/surveys/?s=XTM8T3RPNK