The Role of Recovery Coaches in ROSC

Speaker Name: Christine Fiorini

Session Description:

This presentation will explore the professionalization and expanding role of recovery coaching across Alberta’s recovery-oriented system of care. It will examine how Recovery Coaches are prepared through education in participant-led practice, motivational interviewing, ethics, boundaries, empathy, storytelling, grief, multidisciplinary collaboration, and multiple pathways of recovery. This foundation is reinforced through certification, mentorship, and ongoing professional development.
The presentation will highlight how recovery coaching is being integrated into longstanding services, from 211 Alberta to 12-step programs. It will also explore how Recovery Coaches are increasingly working alongside established helping professions across healthcare, treatment, justice, education, outreach, family support, Indigenous, rural, virtual, and community settings. Particular attention will be given to their role in bridging gaps between services, supporting navigation and communication, and keeping the individual’s goals and lived experience visible within complex systems.
Drawing on quantitative and qualitative findings, the presentation will demonstrate how a connected community of practice is strengthening the Recovery Coach profession, reducing isolation among coaches, and supporting sustainable recovery-oriented care.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1.Describe the role of a Recovery Coach and the support they provide within Alberta’s recovery-oriented system of care.
Identify the pathway of professional development for Recovery Coaches, from education and certification to mentorship, ongoing learning, and connection to a community of practice.
Explain how Recovery Coaches work alongside established helping professions to support continuity of care, communication, resource navigation, and individual recovery goals across diverse settings.
Identify how established services and organizations are integrating recovery coaching to expand and complement the supports they already provide.

BIO
Christine Fiorini is the Community Engagement Lead at Recovery Coach Academy Canada, where she supports the growth and development of Recovery Coaches through training, education, and community connection. Drawing on her background in psychology and lived recovery experience, she brings a practical, engaging, and people-centered perspective to her work.
Christine facilitates training for Recovery Coaches working toward certification and continued professional development and leads Recovery Coach Academy Canada’s online community. She is known for her energetic teaching style and her ability to create welcoming spaces where Recovery Coaches can connect, share knowledge, access resources, and strengthen their practice.