Why should you become a peer support specialist?

Be a part of the solution.

Nearly one in five adults in the U.S. live with a mental health concern, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). 

Recent findings from Mental Health America indicate that:

• Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 19.86% of adults experience mental illness; that’s equivalent to nearly 50 million Americans.
• Suicidal ideation continues to increase in the U.S. among adults. Approximately 5% of adults reported having serious thoughts of suicide.
• A growing percentage of youth in the U.S. live with major depression. Roughly 15% of youth experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. In some states, the rate is as high as 19%.
• Over half of adults with mental illness do not receive treatment, which is over 27 million adults in the US. who go untreated. 
• Over 60% of youth with major depression do not receive mental health care. Even among youth with severe depression who receive some treatment, only 27% received consistent care.
• Rates of substance use are increasing for youth and adults. Almost 8% of adults and just over 4% of youth had a substance use disorder in the past year. 

What is a Peer Support Specialist?

A Peer Support Specialist is a professional with lived mental health experience who is trained and certified to provide help and encouragement to others who are working their way toward wellness. Regardless of the title (some may be called Certified Recovery Support Specialists, Peer Counselors, peer specialists, peer advocates, etc.), Peer Support Specialists have a common commitment to helping others. 

Peer support specialists are those who have been successful in the mental health or substance use recovery process who help others who are experiencing similar situations. Through shared understanding, respect, and mutual empowerment, peer support specialists play key roles in providing services that can effectively extend the reach of treatment beyond the clinical setting. 

That means that with peer support specialist training, you can help reduce the percentage of youth and adults who are experiencing mental or behavioral health concerns but do not receive mental/behavioral health care. 

According to SAMSHA (2017), “Peer support encompasses a range of activities and interactions between people who share similar experiences of being diagnosed with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or both. This mutuality—often called “peerness”—between a peer support worker and person in or seeking recovery promotes connections and inspires hope. Peer support offers a level of acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships (Mead & McNeil, 2006). By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self-­‐empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self-­‐determined lives for themselves.”

What does a Peer Support Specialist do?

Peer support specialists use their lived experiences of recovery from mental health conditions, substance use disorder, or both to support others experiencing similar challenges. SAMHSA (2017) says that peer support specialists provide non-clinical support to: 

• Inspire hope that people can and do recover.
• Walk with people on their recovery journeys.
• Dispel myths about what it means to have a mental health conditions or substance use disorder.
• Provide self-help education and link people to tools and resources.
• Support people in identifying their goals, hopes, and dreams, and creating a roadmap for getting there.

Peer support specialists engage in a wide range of activities, including:

• Advocating for people in recovery.
• Sharing resources and building skills for recovery.
• Building relationships and community inclusion.
• Leading recovery groups.
• Mentoring and goal setting.
• Developing resources to help in recovery.

Peer Support Specialists are emerging as important members of treatment teams. According to SAMHSA, “In addition to providing recovery support services designed to engage, activate, and support people with behavioral health conditions and their family members, peer workers are emerging as important members of treatment teams.” 

Where can I find Peer Support Specialist training?

As more and more learn the impact of peer support, opportunities for training and career paths will grow.  Peer support has the potential to radically transform how we support people in the behavioral health system.  If you are interested in working as a peer support specialist, you will need to participate in training.  Requirements vary by state, so you must research what is required for training and certification in your state.  To become a certified peer support specialists, typically you will need to take 40 hours of training and a certain number of hours of work experience before you can become certified. 

LaBarbera Learning Solutions offers a 15-module digital learning solution to equip you with the specialized skills you need to transform your experiences into practical, supportive services that help others forge their own path well-being.  At just $250 for the complete course, or $89 for individual levels, you can start anytime and learn at your own pace on any device (desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone).  Learn more about the course (including course outlines) here: Peer Support Specialist training online. 

You might like this post about how our peer support training came to be: On peer support training: A behind the scenes look at why I created the program.

Where do Peer Support Specialists work?

“Peer support workers can help break down barriers of experience and understanding, as well as power dynamics that may get in the way of working with other members of the treatment team. The peer support worker’s role is to assist people with finding and following their own recovery paths, without judgment, expectation, rules, or requirements. Peer support workers practice in a range of settings, including peer-­‐run organizations, recovery community centers, recovery residences, drug courts and other criminal justice settings, hospital emergency departments, child welfare agencies, homeless shelters, and behavioral health and primary care settings. In addition to providing the many types of assistance encompassed in the peer support role, they conduct a variety of outreach and engagement activities” (SAMHSA, 2017). 

Value of a Peer Support Specialist

The role of a Peer Support Specialist compliments but does not duplicate or replace the work of therapists, case managers, or other members of the treatment team. Peer support workers bring their own personal knowledge of what it is like to live and thrive with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders. They support people’s progress towards recovery by sharing vital experiential information and real examples of the power of recovery. The sense of shared experiences is influential in modeling recovery and offering hope.

Peer support specialists help increase self-esteem and confidence in those they work with, they facilitate an increased sense of control and ability to bring about change in their lives, they increase the sense that treatment is responsive and inclusive of needs, they provide increased sense of hope and inspiration, they provide increased empathy and acceptance, they increase engagement in self-care and wellness, and they increase social support and social functioning. 

Five reasons why you should start your Peer Support Specialist training today:

1. You get to share your story.
2. It’s shown to improve your own mental health.
3. You’ll serve as a role model for recovery.
4. You’ll be responsible for planning exercises and activities that help peers work through their own struggles.
5. Peers come to you by choice (not a requirement), which means the individuals you work with will be more open to you, which helps you make a greater impact.

Becoming a peer support specialist could be a life-giving career choice. Your shared experience with patients serves as the foundation, and your success is defined by how you connect with those on a similar journey.

If you're interested in helping people who experience mental or substance use disorders better understand their condition and thrive, read more about becoming a peer support specialist with our online Peer Support Specialist training program, which can lead to certification in your state (check your state’s requirements first).