208 - Samson Teklemariam - Equality and Accountability in Peer-Led Recovery Programs
“When we're first coming into the field, it is confusing. We try to do everything. We try to save the world, right? And it becomes sometimes chaotic to find your lane when it comes to just helping people.” - Samson Teklemariam
We all need unofficial mentors and cheerleaders. One of mine is Samson Teklemariam. He “constructs clinical leadership models designed to navigate change in behavioral health and addiction treatment spaces, delivering results that improve quality patient care.” That’s the fancy stuff out of the way. What you really need to know about Samson is that he has a gift for encouraging folks to reach their potential as they lift others. What you need to know about our conversation is it’s juicy! Let’s explore ways to promote authenticity and accountability in peer-led recovery spaces. Let’s break down strategies for maintaining that tightrope balance between the art and science of what a therapist does. Let’s get real about sustainable anti-capitalist supervisory structures. Ready? Set? Let’s go, Samson-style!
“I became an accidental trainer,” says Samson of his trajectory from youth ministry to LPC. “I became just as passionate about equipping healers to be more effective, more impactful, more accurate, and precise in the work that they do as counselors as I was in working directly with patients.” His professional expertise has extended to peer-lead recovery spaces, programs poised to fill workforce shortages by offering alternative paths to credentialing and certification. “[Peer counselors] are not providing therapy per se, but they are helping [clients] navigate the system of care that, honestly, I don't know how to navigate as well as they do ‘cause they just came out of it.”
I’ve witnessed folks in that peer role who’ve overstepped their bounds. But Samson argues that the pros far outweigh the cons. “Helpers that are the most unsafe are the helpers who are not self-aware [or] the helper who does not have accountability,” he agrees. “But I think the spirit of that model has something that we can build on. It didn't gain popularity for nothing; it gained popularity because there was something effective.” Samson’s enthusiasm for community-led programs is contagious. But I’m still proceeding with an abundance of caution. If only we could implement a balanced accountability strategy, free from the racist, capitalist, ableist barriers that limit program effectiveness while offering guardrails to protect both sides of the peer relationship.
Samson remains hopeful at the prospect of a more equitable future––and realistic. “Some system is better than no system.”
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
NAADAC - National Association for Addiction Professionals
Peer Recovery Center Of Excellence
American Express Leadership Academy
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Samson Teklemariam, LPC, CPTM, is an industry thought leader with a track record for leading large-scale transformations that generated new thinking, shifted business models, and disrupted the marketplace. As a catalyst for innovation, Samson constructs clinical leadership models designed to navigate change in the behavioral health and addiction treatment and deliver results that improve quality patient care.
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