What is a Recovery Coach?
- Jamie Palmer
- Oct 4
- 1 min read
You make be thinking, “I have a sponsor and a therapist. Why do I need a Recovery Coach? In addiction recovery, therapists, sponsors, and recovery coaches play distinct and complementary support roles.
A sponsor is an experienced peer whose job is to help their sponsee stay clean, abstinent, and sober by working through the 12 steps and using the program and fellowship effectively to stop the addictive behavior. Sponsors generally have a singleness of purpose—they stick with the steps and traditions providing mentorship, accountability, and sharing personal experiences.
Therapists address the underlying causes of addiction through assessment, diagnosis, and clinical treatment—including trauma, mental health disorders, and maladaptive behaviors.
A recovery coach (or sober coach/peer recovery support specialist) is a trained certified professional who helps clients build and sustain recovery from addiction in a nonclinical, action-oriented role. Recovery coaches help set and achieve personal goals, offer motivation, accountability, and support for developing life skills, and connect clients to resources beyond sobriety (such as health, housing, or employment).
Unlike therapists, recovery coaches do not diagnose or treat mental illness or addiction; unlike sponsors, they work with various recovery models and may not require lived experience.
Are you ready to move forward? What are your goals? What life skills do you want to learn? I can help you move toward a fulfilling life, one you always dreamed of and did not think possible. You can achieve a life of sobriety in sustainable recovery.
Let’s connect and I will help you build the life you deserve.
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