Help the Helpers, Training Expansion Strengthens Kentucky’s Peer Support Workforce
After a successful year of providing Kentucky peer support specialists (PSSs) with training on how to balance the demands of providing recovery support with their personal lives, the recovery community organization Voices of Hope and the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) have refined and expanded their popular training, Help the Helper: Self-Care, Boundaries, and Empowerment for Peer Support Specialists.
The Lexington-based Voices of Hope developed Help the Helper after PSSs shared that they often learned workplace expectations “the hard way,” without clear guidance on boundaries, role clarity, or self-care. PSSs often navigate complex relationships where personal and professional lines meet, which can provide ethical dilemmas, emotional burnout, and compassion fatigue.
Since its launch in December 2024, Help the Helper has generated strong engagement among more than 500 attendees. Their feedback helped the training evolve and expand to new organizations.
Through multiple rounds of pilot testing, Voices of Hope has refined the curriculum. Key updates include:
- New case scenarios based on real workplace challenges,
- Guidance for in-person, virtual and hybrid delivery,
- Strategies for navigating emotional responses during training, and;
- Expanded examples of personal and professional boundaries.
These changes have created space for honest, sometimes vulnerable conversations about the realities of peer support work, especially the challenges of balancing empathy with professional expectations.
In addition to the positive comments from facilitators and participants, post-training evaluation data from 2025 show strong outcomes from the sessions:
- 99% of survey participants agreed they could describe how self-care functions as a form of risk reduction;
- 99% reported improved understanding of role boundaries;
- 90% correctly identified examples of appropriate workplace boundaries; and
- 100% felt confident in their ability to self-advocate in their role.
Many participants left with concrete plans to set healthier boundaries. One attendee shared, “I’m planning to share the Self‑Care Resource Guide and the Fillable Worksheet with my team.” Others emphasized how engaging and energizing the training felt in the moment; after a July 2025 virtual session, a participant remarked, “Totally engaged group—they were eating it up.” The training also resonated on a personal level. Following a holiday‑themed session in December 2025, one attendee told the facilitator, “Thank you, Brook! Counting this presentation as a gift!” Together, these reflections highlight how the training not only delivered practical tools but also created space for connection, validation, and renewed motivation among peer support specialists.
The full training package, including a facilitator guide, presentation, and supplemental resources, is publicly available at no cost. This accessibility is especially important in a field where burnout remains a significant workforce challenge.
By strengthening boundary‑setting skills and promoting self‑care, the training supports long‑term workforce sustainability and enhances the quality of peer‑led recovery services across the state.
Help the Helpers is available in virtual, in‑person, and hybrid formats. Organizations and peer support specialists can request a training session by contacting:
- Brook West, Training and Education Manager, Voices of Hope, at brook.west@voicesofhopelex.org
- Voices of Hope Training Requests, training@voicesofhopelex.org
KIPRC is a unique partnership between the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) and the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health. KIPRC serves both as an academic injury prevention research center and as the DPH’s designee or “bona fide agent” for statewide injury prevention and control.
This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $16.2 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.