Today feels like a big moment in the history of ARHE and the field of collegiate recovery. While an annual report may not typically be considered “big news,” this year’s Impact Report includes the publication of two major documents that have been the focus of many hours of work over the last several years.
In late 2022, the ARHE Board of Directors voted to approve ARHE’s Ethical Considerations for collegiate recovery staff as part of our strategic goals. You can find this document within the Impact Report and on ARHE’s website. This document was the culmination of many hours of work by dedicated collegiate recovery professionals. It was later reviewed and vetted by the ARHE Board of Directors and Advisory Council before being approved by a unanimous vote from the Board. This document began as an independent project from folks who are very passionate about our field and the legacy they leave for the future of the field.
I want to especially thank Angie Bryan, Jessica Estok, Joshua Redding, and Lilly Ettinger for years of dedication to this project. I also want to thank Sierra Castedo de Martell for her early work on the project as well.
Another major document included in this year’s Impact Report is a revision of ARHE’s Standards & Recommendations.
In 2022 we updated our membership that we were in the process of revising the Standards and Recommendations through an access and belonging lens. The addition of a new Standard and Recommendation focused on access and belonging was discussed, especially as we continued to work on the development of accreditation standards for CRPs.
I am so proud of the work that we have been doing to create intentional spaces for conversation surrounding the Standards & Recommendations from ARHE. We hosted open discussion forums in November and December of 2022 and we were able to develop a proposal for updates to the Standards & Recommendations based on these discussions as well as the open sessions held at the 2022 Annual Conference. The Impact Report includes the revised Standards & Recommendations approved by the ARHE Board of Directors by majority vote in April 2023.
While there is still work to be done, this revision to the ARHE Standards & Recommendations is an important step in the advancement of the field of collegiate recovery.
I look forward to what is to come in 2023 and am so grateful to serve as Executive Director of this organization and being able to witness the growth and evolution of a field we all love so much.
Kristina M. Canfield, MEd
Executive Director