Recovery Coaching
A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions (Third Edition)
The groundbreaking book that helped define the field of recovery coaching is now completely updated for a new generation of recovery professionals.
RECOVERY COACHING — A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions by Melissa Killeen is recognized as one of the most comprehensive and influential books ever written on recovery coaching and peer recovery support. First published in 2013 as the first book dedicated entirely to the profession of recovery coaching, this powerful third edition delivers cutting-edge strategies, practical tools, and real-world guidance for today’s recovery professionals, peer specialists, counselors, and treatment providers.
This expanded edition includes extensive new material aligned with the latest research and state-of-the-art approaches to addiction recovery. Readers will discover modern recovery coaching techniques, emerging career opportunities in peer support services, practical guidance for working with clients revived from opioid overdoses, information on commonly used street drugs, and critical education surrounding medication-assisted treatment for alcohol, opioid, and methamphetamine use disorders.
More than a textbook, this is a hands-on survival guide for helping people achieve lasting recovery.
Melissa Killeen masterfully demonstrates how recovery coaches can integrate multiple evidence-informed approaches — including the Harm Reduction Model and Recovery Management Model — to better support clients through every stage of change. The book is packed with actionable sobriety tools, relapse prevention strategies, personal recovery plans, ethical guidelines, behavioral assessments, business practices, coaching contracts, and supervision expectations essential for building a successful recovery coaching practice.
Readers will also gain access to deeply personal and inspiring stories from recovery coaches in the field, providing invaluable insight into the struggles, breakthroughs, and realities of long-term recovery work. The third edition additionally includes the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire and guidance for understanding trauma’s impact on addiction and recovery outcomes.
The need for skilled recovery coaches has never been greater.
Eighty percent of individuals leaving substance misuse treatment centers will relapse within the first year after discharge. Of that 80%, nine out of ten will relapse within the first ninety days. Recovery coaching and peer recovery support can dramatically reduce the likelihood of relapse during this critical window by bridging the dangerous gap between treatment discharge and sustainable long-term sobriety.
Whether you are a new recovery coach, peer recovery support specialist, addiction professional, treatment provider, or someone passionate about helping others recover, RECOVERY COACHING — A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions is an indispensable resource that belongs in every recovery professional’s library.
Listen to Melissa’s Recent Podcast on Voice America
I invite you to consult with me—I’m here to help you find the best solutions.
Melissa Killeen
