The Professionalization of Stigma: The Novel Case of Recovery Coaching

Research on stigma management techniques often emphasizes reducing and challenging negative associations with stigmatization. How do people manage stigma in social groups where negative associations may be socially or professionally advantageous? We answer this question with a case study of the emerging industry of “Recovery Coaching,” where firsthand experiences with drug use and recovery are part of a credentialing system that offers entry into a professional field. Drawing on interviews with 22 participants, 15 of whom were certified recovery coaches, we demonstrate the presence of a unique stigma management technique: the professionalization of stigma. Recovery coaches explicitly leverage revealing stigmatized associations to establish and justify their membership in a professional group. We distinguish the professionalization of stigma from conventional management techniques that reduce stigma and discuss the implications of this concept for the study of destigmatization under neoliberal social and economic conditions across different subfields of sociological research.