Free Peer Recovery Coaching Now Available Across Colorado’s Western Slope

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, May 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In communities across Colorado’s Western Slope, a new kind of help is quietly taking root — one built on connection, understanding, and lived experience. Young People in Recovery (YPR), a national nonprofit dedicated to peer-led recovery support, is offering free Certified Peer Recovery Coaching services exclusively to Rocky Mountain Health Plan (RMHP) members who are navigating substance use recovery.

For too long, individuals in rural and mountain communities have faced steep barriers to finding the support they need: high costs, lack of local providers, long waitlists, and persistent stigma. YPR’s Peer Recovery Coaches are changing that — meeting people where they are, without judgment, red tape, or expense.

What Makes a Peer Recovery Coach Different?
A Certified Peer Recovery Coach isn’t a therapist or a clinician. They’re individuals who have lived through addiction themselves — and who are trained to walk alongside others on their own recovery journeys. Peer Coaches provide emotional support, advocacy, and guidance based on lived experience, not clinical theory. “Sometimes, the hardest part of recovery isn’t finding a program — it’s finding someone who understands,” said Ann Herbst, Executive Director of YPR. “Peer coaches show up not as experts, but as allies. They listen. They support. They believe in people until they can believe in themselves.”

Who Is Eligible?
Services are free for Rocky Mountain Health Plan members only
No clinical diagnosis, referral, or pre-approval is required
Spanish-speaking coaches are available
Telehealth coaching is available statewide, with in-person services expanding across the Western Slope

Initial focus areas include Durango, Cortez, Grand Junction, Cañon City, Grand County, and Routt County

How to Connect
Participants can connect with a Peer Recovery Coach by:
Visiting: https://youngpeopleinrecovery.org/coach Or texting: COACH to (719) 738-8160

A coach will follow up to begin the intake process and support connection.

About Young People in Recovery (YPR)

Young People in Recovery (YPR) is a national grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to building recovery-ready communities through peer-led support, education, and advocacy. YPR operates more than 40 active chapters across the United States, including several throughout Colorado.

Each YPR chapter offers community workshops, leadership development programs, peer-led recovery meetings, and social events — all designed and facilitated by people with lived experience. YPR believes that recovery is not just possible — it’s powerful — and that individuals in recovery deserve the opportunity to lead and thrive.

“Recovery isn't a solo journey,” said Herbst. “It's about rebuilding trust, reconnecting to purpose, and having people in your corner who believe in your future.”

Through this new initiative, YPR hopes to close the gap between isolation and support — and help more individuals across the Western Slope access tools, connection, and real-world hope.

For More Information
Learn more and sign up at: https://youngpeopleinrecovery.org/coach Or text COACH to (719) 738-8160
General info: https://youngpeopleinrecovery.org

Aaron Young
Young People In Recovery
+1 720-600-4977
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook