SMART Recovery Training for Volunteers
Help your community overcome addiction by leading
Face-to-Face or Online SMART Recovery meetings. A
variety of training options and volunteer positions available.
Do you have a group of individuals (professionals or volunteers) who wish to become trained in the SMART Recovery program? Check out our group training options.
Come and learn with us! You can learn "on-the-go" no matter where you are or what device you're using. With Moodle Mobile (available for Android and iPhone/iPad mobile devices), you can access your training course at anytime... anywhere!
Dan Hostetler, Executive Director of Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center in Chicago, IL shares some of his own personal reflections and experiences in his role as a SMART Recovery meeting facilitator.
Join Dan and our world-wide team of volunteers in the quest to help people learn to help themselves. In doing so, you’ll not only be helping others “Discover the Power of Choice” … you’ll also experience the enduring, rewarding satisfaction that comes with being of service to others as a SMART Recovery volunteer!
Gus Curran is a distinguished Learning and Development professional with over 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, specializing in online learning and facilitation. His career is highlighted by his role as Senior Manager at Humentum Learning Services, where he led the implementation and support of advanced learning technologies, including a Learning Management System (LMS) that served over 60 iNGOs and supported the growth of more than 50,000 active learners. An expert facilitator, Gus has designed and delivered an array of educational events, from webinars to in-person meetups to virtual conferences,, showcasing his adeptness at connecting learners with essential resources for success.
Lorie "Hammer" Hammerstrom has been a volunteer for SMART Recovery since 2005. She is a past member of the Board of Directors, one of the original members of our "Get SMART FAST" training team, and a long-time advocate and volunteer for SMART Recovery Online. Lorie's served as a 4th and 5th grade teacher for over 30 years, having receiving many awards along the way for her teaching skills and her after school Space Camp program. (She's been selected twice to participate in NASA’s Adult Space Camp Academy and received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching) Lorie is a favorite with her students and in our onsite training program!
The GSF 200: Meeting Host Training is our training program for individuals who wish to start a new hosted SMART discussion meeting.
The GSF 201: Facilitator Training is our training program for those seeking to volunteer and start a new (or take over an existing) SMART Recovery meeting in their community or online.
The GSF 202: Family & Friends Training is an "add-on" training (prior completion of the Facilitator training being a prerequisite) for those who wish to start a SMART Recovery group for Family & Friends.
The GSF 203: Facilitator/Family & Friends Training is a "combo" course, containing both the GSF 201 and the GSF 202 trainings.
The GSF 301: SMART Recovery for Professionals course is a training offering for licensed health care professionals who wish to use the SMART Recovery program and tools in their professional role. CE credits are available.
If you wish to use a mobile device for your participation in the training, you’ll need to install the Moodle app on your device and enter the full training site address (as provided in your registration confirmation email) to access. (NOTE: Be sure to include the backslash on the end… you’ll get an error message without it.)
Continuing education (CE) credits are available to those who complete the GSF 301: SMART Recovery for Professionals training course. CE credits are also available for most of our Onsite & Zoom trainings.
In a standard meeting, the facilitator focuses the discussions on the specific issues attendees raise during the check-in portion of the meeting.
In a discussion meeting the meeting host uses one or more exercises based on handouts from the SMART Recovery Handbook centered on a specific SMART Recovery tool.
We offer online group training meetings and SMART Meeting Management (SMM) meetings you can attend either as a trainee or a training graduate. You'll receive detailed information of our ongoing training and support offerings within the training course.
All of the materials are provided online within the training course. No additional purchase of materials is required.
SMART Recovery is unique in the way it supports those desiring to abstain from various forms of addictive behavior. The way we train individuals to become a SMART Recovery meeting facilitator is also unique. We believe our recovery concepts, tools, and meeting facilitation quality play a very significant role in helping individuals abstain from their addictive behavior and in developing life-long healthy self-management choices.
Our training will help you learn about multiple pathways to recovery. "Discover the power of choice!"
COME LEARN WITH US! Our training offerings will give you the knowledge, confidence, and support you need to start a SMART Recovery meeting in your community. Scroll through our training course offerings above to decide which training is right for you!