What types of Peer Support certifications are there in Texas?
There are many different areas of focus where Peers can work, like behavioral health, criminal justice, trauma, physical healthcare, etc. Let’s take a look at four peer professional roles in the Texas behavioral health system.
Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS)
A Mental Health Peer Specialist is a person who has lived experience of recovery with mental health challenges and is trained to support others facing similar challenges. They provide support by honoring the self-identification and self-determination of the people receiving peer services, without focusing on or using clinical language or diagnoses.
Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS)
Recovery Support Peer Specialist is a person who has lived experience of recovery with substance use challenges and is trained to support others facing similar challenges.
Recovery Support Peer Specialists recognize that there are multiple pathways to recovery, and support the people they serve to discover which pathway works best for them. They do not act as a sponsor or a guide, and they do not push people to embrace abstinence or the recovery pathway they have chosen.
Certified Family Partner (CFP)
A Family Partner is a person who has lived experience parenting a child experiencing mental, emotional or behavioral health challenges and who can articulate the understanding of their experience with another parent or family member. Family Partners work with caregivers to build family resiliency, navigate child-serving systems, and advocate for the child receiving services. Family Partners often work in mental health settings like Local Mental Health Authorities, and they provide support to caregivers.
Peer Specialist Supervisor (PSS)
Certified MHPS & RSPS can advance their careers in peer support by becoming Certified Peer Specialist Supervisors. In 2019, a new path was created for peer specialists to supervise other peer specialists without needing a clinical degree or certification. Now, a Certified MHPS or RSPS can apply to be a Certified Peer Specialist Supervisor if they have:
- A High School Diploma or GED AND at least four years of work experience as a peer specialist; or
- An associate’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university AND at least two years of work experience as a peer specialist.
Which Certification Is Right for Me?
Consider your lived experience when choosing a peer support certification. MHPS (Mental Health Peer Specialist) certification may be right for you if you have lived experience with mental health conditions. The RSPS (Recovery Support Peer Specialist) certification may be right for you if you have lived experience with substance use.
You can become dual-certified if you have lived experiences in both fields or choose the area that appeals to you the most.
