Certified peer specialists are individuals who have had personal experience of mental illness and are trained to be direct service mental health staff. Minnesota has been offering this service since 2009.
Certified peer specialists offer support and hope to individuals with mental illness by sharing their story and helping them to discover their strengths. Certified peer specialists assist the people they serve by helping break down barriers to community resources and provide encouragement for involvement in community activities that support their goals and interests.
Adding peer services can be transformational to an agency. With support from leadership, the addition of peers to an agency can change the way staff talk to each other and to the people they serve. Peers successfully engage individuals who may be reluctant to receive services. Adding peers to a program’s workforce can free up other mental health staff by running groups, reinforcing skills, and helping the individuals develop their treatment plans.
Certified peer specialists are eligible to provide services as a paid team member with:
In order to be certified mental health peer, you must be a person with a lived experience of mental illness, be willing to share your story, and living well in recovery. Currently the training is offered virtually with the approved training organization RI, Inc..
If you are in interested in learning more about how to become a Certified Peer Specialist, please email your interest to DHS.Peer.Support.Services@state.mn.us.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is dedicated to supporting adults, children and youth with a mental illness in their personal journey toward recovery, as well as preventing mental illness whenever possible.
People with mental illness have the same rights as anyone. DHS is committed to making sure individual choice is respected and that people with mental illness are able to live, learn, work, and enjoy life in their community to the best of their ability.
DHS oversees a number of publicly funded programs offering community-based mental health services, creating a continuum of services designed to meet the needs of individuals.
