Close, Not Crossed:
Ethics, Boundaries, and Self-Care in Peer Support
for Certified Peer Support Specialists
Presented by David Stoecker
Videos
The following video is a recording of David Stoeckers’ training on “Close, Not Crossed: Ethics, Boundaries, and Self-Care in Peer Support.”
Close, Not Crossed: Ethics, Boundaries, and Self‑Care in Peer Support
(David Stoecker)
Description:
Peer specialists build authentic relationships grounded in lived experience—an essential strength that also creates ethical challenges around boundaries, dual relationships, and role clarity. This training explores common dilemmas, how dual relationships naturally arise, and practical strategies for navigating gray areas while staying recovery-oriented and genuine. It also reframes self-care as an ethical responsibility, equipping participants with tools to maintain healthy boundaries, reduce burnout, and sustain effective peer support.
Date Presented: Thurs., May 14, 2026 8:30am – 12:00pm (Central)
Date Training Expires: May 14, 2028
Objectives:
- Define professional boundaries and dual relationships within the context of peer support and explain how they differ from traditional clinical roles.
- Identify common boundary challenges and ethical “gray areas” faced by peer specialists in real‑world settings.
- Apply ethical decision‑making strategies to navigate boundary concerns and dual relationships while honoring peer values such as mutuality and shared power.
- Explain how self‑care functions as an ethical responsibility and identify self‑care practices that support healthy boundaries and reduce ethical risk.
About the Speaker
David Stoecker
CPS, LCSW, CRP
David Stoecker is the Executive Director of Better Life in Recovery and co‑founder of the Springfield Recovery Community Center. A nationally recognized peer and behavioral health leader, he helped create Missouri’s Peer Specialist certification training and harm reduction certification used by Missouri and IC&RC prior to the 2025 EO. David is an Advanced WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) Facilitator, author of Hope Dealer, and producer of Not My Child. He is a Missouri Mental Health Champion and SAMHSA Voice Award recipient who regularly trains on ethics, recovery, risk reduction, and peer practice.
These trainings were funded in whole or in part by funds from the SAMHSA Community Mental Health Block Grant, SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and state funds sub-granted from the Nebraska Department of Health and Services, Division of Behavioral Health.