Supervision of Peer Workers
Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale 

Technical Assistance Center Strategy

This presentation was supported by contract number HHSS2832012000351/HHSS28342002T from the 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The views, opinions, and 

content of this presentation are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views, 

opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 
Learning Goals

1 Describe the essential functions of supervisors

2

Understand the principles and practices of peer support

services

3

Explore the application of recovery-oriented approaches 

to the supervision of peer workers

4 Learn two critical supervision skills

5

Access additional resources to improve your competence 

in supervising peer workers
Supervision
Supervision: Definition

is a professional and 

collaborative activity between a supervisor and a 

worker in which the supervisor provides 

guidance and support to the worker to promote 

competent and ethical delivery of services and 

supports through the continuing development of

the worker's application of accepted professional

peer work knowledge, skills, and values.
Supervision

• The most important thing about

supervision is that it happens 

• Supervision should be a priority for 

early - career peer workers 

• All workers need access to 

supervision 

• Supervision is an investment 

• Supervision benefits employees, 

employers and service recipients
Why Focus on the Supervision of Peer Workers?

• Peer workers fill relatively new and unique roles in the 

behavioral health care system and supervisors may not

understand peer support will enough to provide high quality 

supervision and the organization may not be aligned with 

recovery - oriented values 

• Leaders in peer - run/ recovery community organizations may 

not have experience with supervision and may not have 

organizational structures that support the activity of

supervision 

• Providing supervision promotes good ethical practices 

• Supervisors play a key role in the successful integration of

peer workers in the work place
Challenges to Supervising Peer Workers - for 

Non-Peer Supervisors

• Supervisors may lack experience

and working knowledge of peer

practice

• Supervisor may have a clinical

approach to service provision

• Lack of knowledge among nonpeer staff about peer roles and

practice

• Organizations may not be aligned

with recovery- oriented values,

practices, and culture

• Challenges in integrating peer

workers and recovery values in a

treatment setting
Challenges to Supervising Peer Workers - for 

Peer Supervisors

• May lack training and

experience with supervision

• Lack of knowledge among nonpeer staff about peer roles and

practice

• Organizations not aligned with

recovery - oriented values,

practices, and culture

• Peer - run/ Recovery Community

Organizations may not have a

culture of accountability
Benefits of Supervision for Peer Workers

• Provides opportunities to reflect

on peer support practice

• Delivers better outcomes through

learning that comes from

exploring and discussing work

issues

• Enhances problem solving skills

• Improves clarity and objectivity in

decision making

• Supervision empowers, motivates

and increases worker satisfaction
Benefits of Supervision for the Organization

• Supervision is a tool that can be

used to achieve the agency’s

mission and objectives

• Supervision improves

performance and helps to manage 

resources

• The supervisor serves as the

mediator and liaison between the

agency and the worker

• Good supervision can increase 

morale and improve retention
Functions of the Supervisor

Supervision is comprised of 3 basic functions:

Administrative Educative Supportive

Kadushin , A. (1992) Supervision in Social Work (3rd. edn .), New York: 

Columbia University Press. Revised fourth edition published 2002
Administrative Supervision

Administrative

Administrative supervision tasks focus on the 

effective implementation of the agency’s policies 

and procedures and the management of the peer 

worker’s work performance. 

• Quality of work 

• Work load 

• Liaison to operations - payroll, human resources 

• Using program resources, including time, 

effectively 

• Conformance or fidelity to the program model 

• Record keeping

Administrative
Educative Supervision

Educative

Educative supervision tasks focus on the 

professional development of the worker though 

training, modeling and structuring learning 

experiences. 

• Provide time and space to reflect on peer 

practice 

• Focus on knowledge, skills and attitudes 

• Provide individualized training and support

• Provide venue for supporting the peer 

worker’s professional development

Educative
Supportive Supervision

Supportive

Supportive supervision tasks focus on the 

person’s morale and job satisfaction. 

• Give feedback on work 

• Discuss personal reactions to the work 

• Validate and provide encouragement

• Promote self- care practices 

• Advocate for peer support roles 

Supportive
Fundamentals for Supervisors of 

Peer Workers
Supervisors Understand Peer Roles and 

Practices

• Supervisors understand the variety of peer roles 

• Supervisors have a deep understanding of the core 

competencies of peer workers 

• Supervisors understand the specific peer support job of the 

person they supervise 

• Supervisors can learn more about the fundamentals of peer 

support and peer roles by: 

– Participating in trainings designed for peer support workers 

– Reading articles about peer - delivered recovery support

services 

– Learning the core competencies of peer workers
Supervisors Have a Recovery Orientation and 

Model Recovery - oriented Practices 

• Supervisors endorse and enact

recovery - oriented practices and 

values 

• Supervisors believe in the 

capacity of peer workers to 

grow and develop 

professionally 

• Supervisors frame difficulties 

as learning opportunities and 

structure learning opportunities 

to help the worker grow

• Supervisors support the 

development of individualized 

professional goals 

• Supervisors support the 

integration of peer workers 

and recovery values
Examples of Recovery-oriented Values

• Hope - inspiring the growth potential in all 

• Person - centered - based on the individual’s aspirations 

• Strength - based - focused on the unique gifts of each worker 

• Personal responsibility - holding people accountable for their 

commitments 

• Interdependence - a balance between team work, autonomy, 

and mutual support

• Supervisors model these values in their work 

• Agencies operationalize these values in their policies, 

procedures, and practices
Supervisors Support the Development of the Unique 

Knowledge and Skills Needed for Peer Support Practice 

• Supervisors teach workers the 

knowledge and skills they 

need to perform work tasks 

• Supervisors evaluate work 

performance through direct

observation, co - working, 

assessments, and reflection, 

all in collaboration with the 

peer worker 

• Supervisors structure learning 

opportunities to help workers 

grow 

• Supervisors advocate for 

worker’s participation in ongoing training
Supervisors Recognize the Connections between Behavioral Health 

Conditions and Trauma, Health Disparities, and Social Inequity 

• Supervisors take a holistic view of a person, that they are 

more than their diagnosis or addiction 

• Supervisors recognize that recovery involves more than 

symptom reduction or abstinence 

• Supervisors recognize the interconnected nature of social 

categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they 

apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating 

overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or 

disadvantage 

• Supervisors support workers to address issues of poverty, 

trauma and discrimination
Supervisors Use Strengths-based Supervision

Strengths - based supervision is a collaborative process 

between the worker and supervisor enabling them to deliver 

quality services and supports that draws on the person’s 

strengths and assets 

• Seek to discover and amplify the workers’ strengths and 

competencies 

• Intentionally identify and amplify the workers’ success 

• Encourage learning and share responsibility for setting 

learning goals
Strength-based Supervision

• Focusing on strengths 

does not mean ignoring 

problems, but rather 

means that the 

supervision frames 

problems as learning 

opportunities 

• Feedback and selfassessment are tools in 

strengths - based 

supervision
Supervisors Provide a Space to Address Ethical 

and Boundary Issues

• Most peer workers have been trained about ethics and 

follow a Code of Ethics that has been adopted by the state 

in which they work 

• Supervisors review agency code of conduct with the people 

they supervise 

• Peer workers are expected to follow both their Code of

Ethics and the agency’s code of conduct

• The nature of peer support means that boundary issues can 

be very nuanced and may require opportunities to reflect

with a more experienced colleague
Supervisors Advocate for the Integration of 

Peer Workers in the Work Place

• Supervisors educate others in the work force about the peer 

support roles and practices 

• Supervisors create opportunities for peer support workers to 

interact with other team members 

• Supervisors work with leadership to create more optimal 

working conditions for peer workers
Supervision Formats
Supervision Formats

Individual supervision

Group supervision

Co-supervision
Individual Supervision

Advantages

• Exclusive attention to 

the worker 

• Often experienced as 

safer by the worker 

• More confidential

Disadvantages

• Dependence can develop 

• Exposure to only one 

perspective in 

supervision 

• Lost opportunity to learn 

from colleagues
Group Supervision

Advantages

• More efficient than 

individual supervision 

• Supervisees share 

information and may 

learn from each other 

• Can be a powerful way 

to reduce isolation and 

may foster group 

cohesiveness

Disadvantages

• Working in a group can 

be experienced as 

unsafe by some workers 

• It may difficult to meet

the specific needs of

individual participants 

and there is a risk 

discussions remain 

generalized and do not

meet anyone’s needs in 

a satisfactory way
Co-supervision

• Co - supervision is the provision of supervision by more than 

one supervisor 

• This model may be used when the organization does not

have supervisors who are peer support workers 

• Peer workers may benefits from a second supervisor if their 

primary supervisor doesn’t have the expertise to help them 

develop in their peer practice 

• Often, one supervisor provides more administrative 

supervision and the other provides more education. Ideally, 

both provide support
Co-supervision

Advantages

• Workers benefit from the 

guidance of more than 

one person 

• Workers can develop 

their competencies with 

a skills peer support

worker

Disadvantages

• Some agencies don’t

have the resources to 

offer co - supervision 

• There may be 

challenges in 

communication or 

disagreements 

between the cosupervisors 

• Co - supervisors may 

not share the same 

expectations
Supervision Formats

• Many organizations offer multiple formats of supervision to 

address different professional development needs 

• Different workers get different learning needs addressed by 

different formats 

• Organizations that lack supervisors who themselves are peer 

support workers sometimes make co - supervision by an 

experienced peer support worker available
Selected Competencies for 

Supervisors of Peer Workers
Competency

Competencies are the combination of observable and 

measurable knowledge, skills, and attitudes that contribute to 

enhanced performance and ultimately result in organizational 

success.

Beliefs/ Attitudes

Knowledge

Skills
Core Beliefs/ Attitudes for Supervisors 

of Peer Workers

Beliefs/ 

• Hope - belief in the possibility of Attitudes

recovery 

• Person - driven - process is directed by 

the person’s own goals 

• Respect- for multiple pathways of

recovery and for all 

• Growth - oriented - a focus on personal 

and professional development

Beliefs/ 

Attitudes
Knowledge for Supervisors of Peer Workers

Knowledge

• Supervisors need knowledge of the 

principles and practices of peer support in 

order to provide effective supervision and 

improve utilization of the peer role 

• Supervisors need to clearly know details 

of workers’ jobs 

• Supervisors need to know how to navigate 

the administration of the agency 

• Supervisors need to learn about the 

Americans with Disabilities Act and 

reasonable accommodations to enable 

workers with disabilities achieve success

Knowledge
Selected Skills for Supervisors of Peer 

Workers

Skills

• There are dozens of skills that

supervisors need to be successful in 

their roles. 

• Many lists of skills and competencies for 

supervisors have been published 

• This training will focus in on two critical 

skills for supervisors

1 Giving strengths-based affirmations

2

Skills

Giving feedback
Giving Strengths-based Affirmations

• Strength - based affirmations shine a light on all the good 

things that team members are doing 

• Strength - based affirmations contribute increase motivation 

for professional development

• Strength - based affirmations are different from general 

praise in that they are specific to a work task or worker 

attribute
Giving Strengths-based Affirmations

Definition

Giving strengths - based affirmations mean 

expressing a genuine and positive acknowledgement

of a specific work task or worker attribute 

Benefits

• Helps workers discover their strengths 

• Builds confidence 

• Demonstrates supervisors’ support of the peer 

worker

Steps

1. Recognize worker’s strength 

2. Select opportunity to share affirmation 

3. State the affirmation

Condition Give strengths - based affirmation when you want to 

increase a worker’s recognition of their strengths
Strengths-based Affirmations: Examples

“You showed a lot of courage 

when you reminded the team 

that Nathan has a right to make 

an informed choice about which 

recovery home he wants to go 

to.”

“I like the way you 

welcome people 

and help them feel 

comfortable here.”

“The recovery plan you 

developed with Ian 

showed that you really 

understand how to do 

person - centered 

planning”

”I want to let the team 

know that Steven 

organized this in - service 

training. He’s a master at

creating a training and 

lining up speakers.”
Giving Feedback

• This skill is similar to affirming strengths in that it provides 

workers with the information they may need to develop their 

practice 

• Feedback is always framed as a learning opportunity 

• Feedback strengthens a person’s ability to reflect on their 

own performance
Characteristics of Good Feedback

• Specific - refers to a particular activity 

• Objective - based on unbiased observation 

• Timely - when the worker will most benefit from the feedback 

• Individualized - tailored to the learning needs of the worker 

• Genuine - comes from a place of kindness 

• Actionable - suggests activities designed to improve 

performance
Giving Feedback

Definition

Giving feedback means communicating your objective appraisal 

of the worker’s performance of a specific work task or worker 

attribute 

Benefits

• Helps workers discover areas they need to develop 

• Contributes to a culture of growth and development

• Demonstrates supervisor’s interest in helping the peer worker 

to grow in the role 

Steps

1. Ask worker to give themselves feedback on a specific task or 

attribute 

2. Share your objective appraisal of the worker’s performance, 

starting with strengths and moving to areas that need 

improvement

3. Check in with the worker about their reactions to the 

feedback 

4. Collaborate with the worker to develop activities for learning

Condition Give feedback when the worker is ready to hear it and always in 

private
Giving Feedback Example

Nancy, a supervisor and Edgar, a peer recovery coach who works in a 

hospital emergency room are meeting for supervision. Earlier in the day, 

Nancy observed Edgar interacting with a person who had had a recent

opioid overdose and overhead Edgar say, “Well I hope your next overdose 

doesn’t kill you” and walk away. 

Edgar, tell me about Nancy your interaction with Mr. Rose this 

morning.

Edgar

Oh man, that was frustrating! I couldn’t get anywhere with that

guy. He wasn’t having any of what I could offer. I thought that

maybe he would go to treatment this time. I thought we had a 

good connection too.

Nancy You were surprised that he was wasn’t

interested in what you were offering today.

Edgar Yeah, I guess I got let-down, you know?
Giving Feedback Example (continued)

Nancy

If it’s okay with you I’d like to share my perspective 

but first I’d like to hear from you about what you think 

you did well and what you’d like to do better next

time.

Edgar Well I don’t know what I did well. It wasn’t my best

work.

Well, start with one thing that you did well. Nancy

Edgar

Well, I did well just starting a conversation 

with him. I was able to introduce myself and 

talk to him about what had happened to him 

last night.

Nancy So initiating contact has become a strength for 

you. What do you think you need to improve?

Edgar I’m not sure. I don’t know what I could have done 

differently. I wasn’t expecting him to reject my offer 

and I just reacted.
Giving Feedback Example (continued)

Nancy

What would you have liked to have done 

instead of having the reaction 

you had?

Edgar

I don’t know. I should have not reacted 

like I did. I just walked away.

You wish you had not broken the connection you had Nancy

with him.

Edgar Yes. I was kind of mad at him.

Nancy I’d like to give you some feedback on what I 

think you could do differently next time.

Edgar Yes. That could be helpful.
Giving Feedback Example (continued)

Nancy

I observed that you rushed in and offered a treatment bed without

first asking him what he thinks he needs. Getting the person to start

thinking about possible solutions can be empowering and the 

person feels less pressured.

Edgar That sounds right.

Nancy

We can review and practice some pieces of

motivational interviewing, especially rolling with 

resistance. These skills take a lot of practice and 

you’re making progress and we can work together 

to help you move forward.

Edgar Sometimes I feel that I won’t ever get it.

Nancy

You feel discouraged because it can be so hard to use 

these skills when you need to. But I’ve seen you work hard 

to get better at other skills and I believe that you’ll develop 

these skills too.
Selected Supervisor Skills Summary

• Giving strength - based affirmations and giving feedback are 

two critical skills of supervision 

• These skills both work to help people increase their ability 

to assess their own performance of work skills 

• These skills also work to help people to get and achieve 

professional goals
Supervisor of Peer Workers Summary

• Peer workers fill new and unique roles in the behavioral 

health work force 

• Supervision of peer workers is not dramatically different

from supervising other roles, but there are specific 

competencies these supervisors need 

• Supervisors of peer workers need to develop their 

knowledge of peer roles and practices, embrace a recovery 

orientation, and advocate for the integration of peer 

workers