Who We Are
Peer Coach Academy (PCA) began providing recovery coach trainings in 2015 through mentorship from CCAR. Rod Rushing, our founder, became a CCAR Core Trainer in 2017 and started offering the entire CCAR catalogue, as well as training new trainers in Colorado.
In 2018, we expanded to Colorado Springs, which marked the beginning of our collaboration with other agencies and an increase in the services we offer. We now have offices in downtown Colorado Springs and Five Points, Denver. In 2022, we shifted some of our efforts toward providing transitional homes for individuals with serious mental illness. These privately contracted homes have opened our hearts and minds.
Our name, Embark PCA, reflects our journey of collaboration and service as we provide various services across the state and beyond.
Introducing The Embark Team
We are committed to the Recovery Community and would love to connect with you to discuss our Recovery Housing and Counseling programs, the Find a Coach initiative, Recovery Coach Training options, upcoming sober social activities, Volunteer Trainings, or to assist you in finding the support you need.
Though we often travel to conduct trainings and outreach across the state, we will make time to speak with you.
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Class Calendar
State-of-the-Art Services
Offerings Designed for Recovery
Transitional Recovery Housing
Our recovery housing program includes two components: 1) operating a Day Reporting Center to provide outpatient restoration clients with treatment, education, community, ideas, peer support, and case management; 2) providing sober living housing to serve individuals released from confinement who are receiving competency restoration.
Embark Recovery Housing, located in El Paso County, manages six transitional recovery houses that provide a vital step for individuals dealing with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Certified by CARR, the program offers two men’s transitional houses, one women’s transitional house, and three assisted living residences focused on behavioral health. These homes serve as an essential component in Colorado's Department of Human Services' behavioral health continuum, offering a supportive environment for stabilization before clients reintegrate into the community. The goal is to help clients develop social and life skills and provide the necessary support for daily living based on their individual needs.
Embark PCA Recovery Services operates under guiding principles that emphasize awareness, education, removing barriers, and fostering a sense of community. Services provided include competency court support, QMAP assistance, case management, individual recovery coaching, access to sober social activities, and walking access to employment opportunities. The program also collaborates with outpatient restoration services and offers transportation support, mental health counseling, and prescriber access, ensuring clients have comprehensive care tailored to their recovery journey.
The values at Embark PCA Recovery Services are centered on trust, resilience, friendship, and family. The organization’s core competencies include a commitment to the safety and recovery of clients, prioritizing communication, responsiveness, and collaboration with a network of professionals such as house managers, life skills counselors, and peer mentors. Utilizing a secure third-party electronic health record system, Embark ensures confidentiality and compliance with the 1996 HIPAA standards, offering a safe and supportive space for individuals to share their experiences and begin their path to recovery.
Training Options
The Gold Standard In Recovery Coach Training
Embark PCA offers comprehensive training for recovery coaches, with many classes available virtually through November 30, 2025. The organization has three vetted facilitators who provide training sessions during both day and evening hours, ensuring flexibility for participants. Embark PCA's founder became a certified coach and trainer after traveling to Connecticut in 2014. He continued his training over several visits, eventually becoming an RCP-F. Following these certifications, Embark PCA began offering CCAR Recovery Coach Training and Education courses and has since certified over 5,000 recovery coaches across 25 counties in Colorado.
The CCAR Recovery Coach Academy (RCA) was created in 2008 to address the needs of volunteers at CCAR Recovery Community Centers. These volunteers sought more training to better manage the diverse scenarios encountered while working with recoverees. As a result, participants from the academy began calling themselves "Recovery Coaches." The RCA has evolved over the past 10 years, but its core principles have remained strong, focusing on skills like active listening, effective communication, and managing personal challenges.
The CCAR Recovery Coach Academy is a 5-day intensive training designed to equip participants with the tools to guide and support individuals seeking long-term recovery from addiction. This program, set in a retreat-like environment, includes 30 continuing education credits (CEs) and is NAADAC-approved. Participants will learn to describe the role of a Recovery Coach, understand recovery principles, explore the stages of change, and develop skills to enhance relationships and support individuals in their recovery journey. The training also covers cultural awareness, ethical considerations, and wellness planning, ensuring that recovery coaches are well-prepared to make a meaningful impact.
CCAR Professional Training Track courses include the CCAR RCA (30 hours), Ethical Considerations (16 hours), Professionalism & Coaching (12 hours), and Spirituality & Coaching (12 hours). These trainings total 70 hours and are eligible for credentials such as the Colorado Peer Credential (CPFS) and the NAADAC Peer Credential (NCPRSS), though additional work experience and supervision are required for credentialing.
Recovery Coach Training
We hope to meet all your training needs whether you want to become a recovery coach or are already working in this field and wish to elevate your skills. Our trainings are available online, are uniquely experiential, and rely on the experts in the room—you! We facilitate CCAR. We love what we do!
Recovery Support
Every year, over 15, 000 people in Colorado leave substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. We're on a mission to support their continued recovery. Embark PCA celebrates SUD recovery in Colorado through trainings, advocacy, and innovative leadership programs and individual and group recovery support activities.
The process of recovery is a highly personal journey that can take many forms. It may involve clinical treatment, medications, faith-based approaches, peer and family support, self-care, or a combination of these and other methods. Recovery is not a linear process but is instead marked by continuous growth and improvement in health and wellness. Managing setbacks is an essential part of recovery, as these challenges are natural in life. Therefore, resilience becomes a critical component in overcoming obstacles and maintaining progress on the path to recovery.
The recovery process is guided by several key principles, often organized into the Four Dimensions of Recovery: Health, Home, Purpose, and Community. Health involves overcoming or managing symptoms and making informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional well-being. Home refers to having a stable, safe place to live, which is crucial for maintaining recovery. Purpose focuses on engaging in meaningful daily activities, whether through work, school, volunteerism, or creative pursuits, and gaining the independence and resources needed to participate in society. Lastly, Community emphasizes the importance of having relationships and social networks that offer support, friendship, love, and hope.
These principles are further supported by cultural awareness, resilience, and the role of behavioral health equity. The Office of Recovery and the Office of Behavioral Health Equity play vital roles in ensuring that recovery is approached with cultural competence and that individuals have access to the resources they need to rebuild their lives and maintain long-term recovery.
Get In Touch
We’re here to help you take the first step
Real Stories of Transformation and Recovery
2023
The support is fundamental in my recovery and I am so grateful.
Heather N.
2022
They are comprehensive, thorough, and just overall very well taught.
KJ M.
2023
I simply cannot say enough positive things about this program.