A Peer Specialist is a professional with lived mental health experience trained and certified to provide support, help, and encouragement for others working toward wellness. These specialists may go by different names in different settings and are also known as Recovery Coaches and Lay Counselors.
Regardless of their title, peer specialists are committed to helping others and working from a strengths-based perspective. Utilizing peers with shared experiences to deliver services is empowering, and research has proven that this approach is highly effective in:
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- Reducing expensive inpatient service use
- Reducing recurrent psychiatric hospitalizations for patients at risk of readmission
- Improving relationships between peers and their healthcare providers
- Helping people engage more fully in their care
- Significantly increasing each peer’s ability to manage symptoms and reduce reliance on formal services while still achieving positive recovery outcomes
A Conversation About Peer Support and Peer Specialists
Listen and learn from Douglas Hulst, DBSA’s Peer Specialist Workforce Development Senior Program Manager, as he dives into the concept of peer support and how it benefits those living with depression or bipolar. Also hear from Jennifer, a Peer Support Specialist, who talks about her journey to become a certified specialist, where she works, and how her role impacts peers.
Where do Peer Specialists work?
The rapidly growing peer workforce is integral to treatment teams in both public and private settings. Peer Specialists may serve in the Department of Veterans Health Affairs, integrated behavioral health centers, inpatient facilities, community-based mental health centers, and peer-run respite services. Most frequently, Peer Specialists work as paid employees, while others offer their services as volunteers.
Peer Specialists serve in a wide variety of roles, working with individuals and groups to:
- Create individual service plans based on recovery goals, setting steps to achieve those goals
- Introduce recovery tools that help with specific challenges
- Create personalized wellness plans
- Provide support for decision-making
- Organize and sustain self-help and educational groups for peers
- Offer a sounding board and a shoulder to lean on
What qualifications do Peer Specialists need?
Certification requirements for Peer Specialists are determined on a state-by-state basis. Many states require candidates to complete a Peer Specialist training program. There are several training requirement scenarios. Each state determines its training requirements, which may include:
- State-approved training offered by outside organizations, such as DBSA’s Peer Specialist Course
- State-administered Peer Specialist training
- State-administered Peer Specialist training contracted through outside organizations
After completing the training, candidates must meet certification requirements set by the state where they will practice. Certification is usually not instantly transferable between states. If you move to another state, you will need to comply with that state’s certification requirements. This can mean you will need to take the training recognized by that state’s certification board. Please check with your own state’s certification board to understand the requirements. Please check applicable requirements with your state certification body, office of consumer affairs, or service delivery system before making the decision to participate in the DBSA Peer Specialist Course.
How can I become a Peer Specialist?
Increasingly, the delivery of quality mental health care includes the services of a Peer Specialist—an individual who has experienced mental health or substance use issues and is now living in wellness. These professionals have acquired the specialized skills they need to transform their own experiences into practical, supportive services that help others forge their path to recovery. Many Peer Specialists serve as adjuncts to the clinical care team, working with peers and medical caregivers to plan treatment, set goals, and provide encouragement along the way.
DBSA offers a 4-week Peer Specialist Course that gives students the opportunity to reflect on their own mental health journey and develop specific skills that will help them work effectively with peers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read some of the frequently asked questions about DBSA’s Peer Specialist course.
