CRM CRM Certification, Scope of Practice & Legal Frameworks 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The primary purpose of CRM certification is to:
- Allow mentors to prescribe medication-assisted treatments
- Establish a standard of competency for recovery mentors providing peer support services (Correct answer)
- Replace the role of licensed clinical social workers in treatment
- Grant legal authority to conduct psychological assessments
Correct answer: Establish a standard of competency for recovery mentors providing peer support services
CRM certification establishes that a recovery mentor has met defined competency standards for providing ethical, effective peer-based recovery support.
Question 2: The scope of practice for a Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM) DOES include:
- Providing clinical diagnoses of mental health disorders
- Sharing lived experience, offering peer support, and connecting clients to community resources (Correct answer)
- Prescribing or recommending medications
- Conducting formal psychotherapy sessions
Correct answer: Sharing lived experience, offering peer support, and connecting clients to community resources
CRM scope of practice is peer-based: sharing lived experience, providing support, and navigating resources — not clinical diagnosis, therapy, or medication management.
Question 3: If a client discloses ongoing child abuse during a CRM session, the mentor is typically required to:
- Keep the disclosure confidential as part of the therapeutic relationship
- Report the abuse to the appropriate child protective services as a mandated reporter (Correct answer)
- Advise the client to report themselves
- Consult with the client's previous therapist before taking any action
Correct answer: Report the abuse to the appropriate child protective services as a mandated reporter
Recovery mentors in most states are mandated reporters, required by law to report disclosed child abuse to child protective services.
Question 4: HIPAA's privacy protections apply to a recovery mentor primarily when they:
- Discuss their own recovery story publicly
- Handle protected health information (PHI) within a covered healthcare entity or business associate (Correct answer)
- Post general recovery tips on social media
- Attend recovery community events
Correct answer: Handle protected health information (PHI) within a covered healthcare entity or business associate
HIPAA applies when recovery mentors work within or on behalf of healthcare entities and handle protected health information about identifiable clients.
Question 5: Which of the following actions would be OUTSIDE a CRM's scope of practice?
- Accompanying a client to a job interview for moral support
- Diagnosing a client with borderline personality disorder based on observed behavior (Correct answer)
- Helping a client identify community resources for housing
- Sharing a personal recovery story to build rapport
Correct answer: Diagnosing a client with borderline personality disorder based on observed behavior
Providing diagnoses is exclusively within the scope of licensed mental health or medical professionals — CRMs do not diagnose.
Question 6: Informed consent in recovery mentorship means:
- The client agrees with all of the mentor's suggestions
- The client is given clear information about the mentor's role, services, and limits before services begin (Correct answer)
- The mentor consents to share the client's information with family members
- The client signs a form waiving their right to confidentiality
Correct answer: The client is given clear information about the mentor's role, services, and limits before services begin
Informed consent requires that clients understand what the CRM service entails, its limits, and their rights before agreeing to participate.
CRM CRM Certification, Scope of Practice & Legal Frameworks 1
The primary purpose of CRM certification is to: