How to become A Peer Support Specialist

Peer Support Specialists are courageous, philanthropic individuals who derive unique insight and understanding from their own experiences with mental health or substance use issues and can help others take giant strides towards recovery in similar circumstances.

• Peer Specialist
• Peer Recovery Coach
• Peer Advocate
• Peer Recovery Support Specialist

What do Peer Support Specialists do?

A Peer Support Specialist would typically need to:

• Direct, coordinate and manage comprehensive legally-compliant mental health services that help the client develop and sustain healthy life choices
• Meet with the clients to assess their needs - their struggles and their goals (finding stable housing or becoming more independent in daily activities)
• Ensure the information is accurate before using it to help the client set strengths-based recovery goals
• Schedule periodic sessions to discuss lawful strategies for achieving the set goals
• Build a customised support plan based on the strategies; include group counselling, employment assistance or peer-to-peer mentoring in the plan
• Educate and train the client and their primary care providers in addressing the needs identified in the support plan
• Provide preventive and therapeutic interventions designed to promote the execution of direct individual activities
• Run support or self-help groups that focus on emotional support, sharing experiences, education and practical activities
• Assist with skill enhancement or acquisition, and support ongoing treatment and functional gains
• Develop interpersonal and community relational skills, including adaptation to home, school, work and other natural environments
• Teach the client how to monitor and manage their symptoms; conduct various additional outreach and engagement activities
• Inform the client about, help them access and arrange for the receipt of authorised benefits, community resources and services
• Assist service recipients in getting approved transportation to program-related activities 
• Identify flaws in and attempt to improve the operational efficiency of the support plan 
• Monitor service provision; arrange, link or integrate multiple services; regularly assess the client’s need for services
• Coordinate discharge planning and community re-entry following hospitalisation or residential care
• Dispense ‘First Responder’ crisis response around the clock to clients experiencing a crisis
• Maintain professional relationships with clients and colleagues; adhere to appropriate interpersonal boundaries
• Offer encouragement and support throughout a client’s recovery; ensure the safe execution of the support plan
• Refer clients to appropriate healthcare professionals for issues that fall outside the scope of their services
• Report to their supervisor on an ongoing basis through in-person meetings, via email and through written correspondence or telephone
• Attend routine schedule supervision meetings and any other meetings or training as specified by the government or their employer

You have the option to practice full-time or part-time in formal and casual settings. Local drop-in groups and cafes comprise the latter. You could also work with third sector organisations and charities.

Peer Support Specialists may conduct the meetings with clients in person, over the phone or online. It may be for a group of people with a specific health condition or from a particular ethnic group.

They work with behavioural and primary care providers and a support team including nurses, therapists, doctors, psychologists, and social workers to ensure their client gets optimal service. Travelling to serve their clients at primary care offices, emergency rooms, inpatient facilities, and recovery centres may be standard.  

Peer Support Specialists must work flexible hours and make themselves available 24/7/365 to a client in crisis. Although a standard support program may last eight weeks, some may take longer.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. Peer Support Specialists can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

Peer Support Specialists are generally employed by:

• Peer-Run Organisations
• Crisis Respite Houses & Residential Hospitals
• Recovery Community Centres
• Recovery Residences
• Drug Courts
• Hospitals
• Child Welfare Agencies
• Homeless  Shelters
• Behavioural Health Centres
• Primary Care Centres
• Wellness Coaching Centres
• Drop-In Centres & Clubhouses

Professional associations and organisations, such as The Association for Addiction Professionals, are crucial for Peer Support Specialists interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

• Feelings of exclusion due to lack of understanding of one’s role in the mental healthcare system
• Restrictions imposed by the agency on peer work roles and boundaries with service users
• Lack of work-life balance
• The social stigma associated with having a mental health condition or substance use disorder
• Lack of training on self-care, coping with vicarious trauma and working with clinicians
• Low compensation

One of the best introductions to a career in mental health is to vol­unteer at a local hospital, clinic, or nursing home. As Peer Support Specialists increase in number, promising candidates can try them out in voluntary or paid roles.

Work experience demonstrates your interest and dedication to the profession. It allows you to understand what it is like to work around other healthcare professionals and patients. 

In addition, working with a diverse range of clients helps you build an understanding of different behaviours, situations, and problems you may encounter during your practice as a Peer Support Specialist.

Generally, you must complete agency orientation within a month of being recruited. You must also undergo nonviolent crisis intervention and crisis response training before holding one-on-one sessions with clients from diverse backgrounds belonging to different age groups.

Peer Support Specialists walked the path of recovery from a diagnosable mental, behavioural or emotional disorder. Their own experiences and recovery journey enable them to provide non-clinical, strengths-based support to others experiencing similar challenges.

Take advantage of government-sponsored training programmes in formal settings such as community, crisis, inpatient, criminal justice and recovery services. In addition, prior work experience as a volunteer or cashier, along with knowledge of word processing software, may help you land your first job.

Read about the profession and interview/job shadow experts working in peer support or counselling to prove your commitment to course providers and prospective employers.

Although a high school diploma is a minimum qualification, a good percentage of aspiring Peer Support Specialists have a certificate or an associate or bachelor’s degree in psychology, counselling or social services; a smaller number acquire a master’s degree in the subjects mentioned above.

Accredited certification in peer support, peer counselling, pastoral counselling and time, financial and personnel management from an objective and reputed organisation can help you stand out in a competitive job market and allow you to become an independent consultant.

Successful certification programs protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics. A combination of education, experience, and testing is generally required to gain certification, though requirements differ from region to region.

A valid driver’s licence is an essential prerequisite in most job applications. Typically, licensure requires an application, processing fees, an examination, and relevant education and experience.

An employment background check can include but is not limited to a person’s work history, education, credit history, motor vehicle reports (MVRs), criminal record, medical history, use of social media, and drug screening.

Performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional qualifications drive the career progression of Peer Support Specialists who may move into management roles such as Peer Supervisor, Peer Manager or Program Coordinator.

Candidates with knowledge of and certification as well experience in peer counselling, and wellness coaching have the best job prospects.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for public well-being and career progression in the mental healthcare sector. It embraces learning objectives, methodologies, and novel technological developments, especially in education, management, and IT.

Reflective learning, interaction with peer groups, comprehensive inclusion, workshops, and professional publications educate, influence, support, and foster lifelong enlightenment in all career-grade Peer Support Specialists.

Your employer will ensure you receive training to offer adequate peer support safely and confidently from a paid peer support coordinator.

Advanced training in peer techniques, peer bridging, intentional peer support, emotional CPR, wellness-recovery-action-plan facilitation and suicide prevention will go a long way in enhancing your professional capabilities.

Before You Begin

Before you embark on this noble journey, think about whether it is right for you. You may find it challenging to open up and share your experiences with others. It would help to remember that your client/clients are also experiencing similar emotions, and you can choose how much you wish to share.

It may cause you acute discomfort to listen to other people’s experiences. Serious thought to how you were helped by peer support or wished for it may help. Do your research and learn how the sessions are structured, your role, the number of clients you may be assigned and how to lead the group.

Essential Guidelines

Although there is a significant difference in how a clinician would respond to a particular event in the service user's life, most Peer Support Specialists do not want to regret setting boundaries when something catastrophic happens. Even otherwise, they strive to support the client with anything from phobias to health issues throughout the latter’s recovery.

The amount of time you work with each client depends on the complexity of their challenges and goal-achievement rate. Peer Support Specialists usually have a caseload of 10 to 12 clients at a time with whom they may spend around eight weeks either in a group or one-on-one session. 

Peer Support Charter

Peer support specialists typically follow a set of core principles that all participants may have decided collectively. The charter usually includes safety and trust, honesty, positivity, reciprocity, loyalty, equality, mitigating stigma, person-centred goals, independence, empowerment, recovery and choice.

Potential Pros & Cons of Freelancing vs Full-Time Employment

Freelancing Peer Support Specialists have more flexible work schedules and locations. They have full ownership of the business and select their projects and clients. However, they experience inconsistent work and cash flow, which means more responsibility, effort and risk.

A full-time Peer Support Specialist, on the other hand, has company-sponsored health benefits, insurance, and retirement plans. They have job security with a fixed, reliable source of income and guidance from their bosses. Yet, they may experience boredom due to a lack of flexibility, ownership, and variety.

When deciding between freelancing or being a full-time employee, consider the pros and cons to see what works best for you.

Research shows that peer support can improve people’s well-being, resulting in fewer hospital stays, more extensive support networks and better self-esteem, confidence, and social skills.

The challenges they face and overcome regularly enable Peer Support Specialists to offer much-needed but rarely-experienced acceptance, understanding and validation to their clients so they can take concrete steps towards building better lives for themselves.

“Being a positive influence in the world is very meaningful. It’s not about the life you live; it’s about the legacy you leave behind.” 

Baren