Education Project FUTRE
Project FUTRE (Families Uplifted Through Recovery Education)
Turn your personal experience into a career that changes lives.
When a family is navigating substance use, a steady, hopeful voice can make all the difference. Project FUTRE trains people with personal or family experience in substance use recovery to become parent and family support specialists — people who stand beside Arizona children and families on their path to healing. Training is online via Zoom and designed for real life.
Applications close Nov. 19, 2025
Classes start February 2026
Why it matters — and why you belong here
- Make recovery personal. Channel your experience into purposeful, professional support for others.
- Get career-ready fast. In about six months, you’ll be prepared to serve as a Parent & Family Support Specialist with confidence.
- Earn while you learn. Scholarships cover training costs, and monthly stipends + completion bonuses help keep life on track.
- Grow into a full-time role. After training, you’ll be eligible for an optional 12-month, paid apprenticeship with a community partner.
- Learn from people who’ve walked the path. Instructors and mentors bring lived experience, practical tools, and deep compassion.
If you live in Arizona and want your story to spark change – for your family, your community and your future – this program is for you. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds throughout Arizona.
What you’ll learn (and do)
Certification Training (Six months | Approximately five to 10 hours per week | 160 hours total)
- Live online classes (144 hours) that build real-world skills in family-centered, recovery-oriented support
- Professional shadowing (16 hours) with a partner organization
- Two SMART recovery sessions to strengthen evidence-informed tools rooted in REBT/CBT
- Optional paid apprenticeship (12 months | 40 hours/week | 2,000 hours)
Your job, simplified
Parent and Family Support Specialists are behavioral health paraprofessionals. Through Project FUTRE, you will learn how to provide guidance, resources and assistance to people who are affected by or involved in supporting a family member’s mental health or substance use treatment.
You will help empower families by promoting their well-being, advocating for their rights and facilitating access to essential services and resources.
Or learn more at the Workforce Development Program website.