A: Peer support is a relationship between people who share similar backgrounds with mental health diagnoses, substance use disorders, or both.

A peer support worker is someone who is in active recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both. Peer support providers get specialized training to support others with similar challenges.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), peer support offers a level of acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships. By sharing their own lived experiences and practical guidance, peer support workers help people develop goals, create strategies for self-empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self-determined lives.

A: Peer Support Specialist: 40+ hours of training, certified by the Traditional Health Worker Commission, can be for Adult Mental Health or Adult Addictions. 

Peer Wellness Specialists: 80+ hours of training, certified by the Traditional Health Worker Commission, can be for Adult Mental Health, Adult Addictions, or both.

The main difference between PSS and PWS is the number of training hours and the additional material in PWS training. Both trainings will teach participants skills such as communication, recovery tools, evidence-based care, navigating systems, and ethics and boundaries. The PWS training goes deeper into some of those topics and covers additional topics such as health management, chronic diseases, group facilitation skills, adult learning styles, and more. The additional training hours can mean that a person trained as a PWS receives slightly higher starting wages. But both PSS and PWS trainings provide people with the foundational skills to provide peer support to others. 

There are also peer providers called Certified Recovery Mentors, who are certified by the Mental Health and Addictions Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) to support people in recovery from substance use disorder.

A: Yes, to participate in this training and be eligible to receive your credential at the end, you must attest to having lived experience in mental health challenges, substance use, or other addictions. 

While lived experience is a requirement to become a PSS or PWS, it is not the only thing you need to be an effective peer provider. A peer provider should also be committed to the values of peer support. These include being open-minded, respectful, empathetic, and transparent. It also means being able to share power and to focus on each person’s strengths.

In addition to holding these values, peer support workers need to be able to learn skills that will assist them in their job role, such as community outreach, problem-solving, active listening, and conflict resolution, and technical skills like computer use and writing notes.

A: In addition to our own recovery, many of us have past involvement with the legal system, such as being incarcerated, on parole, or with previous DHS cases. These do not automatically restrict you from becoming a PWS. While a background check is required to be certified, the state recognizes that this background can also be a valuable example of recovery for those that peer supporters work with. In the background check process, you will be asked to name any legal involvement. You must be honest and up-front about your background when applying. The background check is weighted, which means they consider the context, explanation, and letter of support from others about your situation. 

These are specific cases that would prohibit someone from working as a PWS.

A: Yes, but please read all of this. Many of us who struggle with mental health and addiction challenges have also been involved in the legal system, under sentence with the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB), served time in prison or jails, been on parole, or had previous DHS cases. This does not automatically restrict you from becoming a PWS.

A background check is required to be certified, but the state recognizes that this background can also be a valuable example of recovery for others. In the background check process, you will be asked to name any legal involvement. You must be honest and up-front about your background when applying. The background check is weighted, which means they consider the contact, explanation, and letters of support from others about your situation. These are specific cases (ORS 443.004 under section 5) that would prohibit someone from working as a PWS. Also, people who are on the “Medicaid Provider Exclusion List” cannot be certified and registered to work as a PWS in the state of Oregon.

A: There are no educational requirements to become a peer support worker. You do not need a high school diploma or GED, college experience, or other job training. Your first-hand knowledge of recovering from and living with mental health or substance use challenges is a requirement to be certified and work as a peer support worker in Oregon. You will also need a state-issued ID or passport to submit as proof of identity when you register with the Traditional Health Worker Commission.

A: Peer providers work in a variety of settings. They work in emergency departments at hospitals, community health clinics, drop-in centers, homeless shelters, crisis teams, low-income housing, prisons and jails, residential treatment homes, respite centers, libraries, and more.

Starting wages for peer providers in the Portland area range from $22-28 an hour.

A: The total length of the training is about 85 hours. This includes 80 hours spent in the classroom as well as independent learning activities you will do on your own. This training will take place every Monday and Tuesday for five weeks and for eight hours per day. 

Dates & Time:

July 27th, July 28th, August 3rd, August 4th, August 10th, August 11th, August 17th, August 18th, August 24th, and August 25th.

9:30am-5:30pm

Full attendance at the training is required for certification. Be sure you are available to attend all of the training dates and that you are able to make the time commitment.

A: The training will take place in NW Portland at the Montgomery Park building, 2701 NW Vaughn St, Portland, OR 97210.

A: This training is only available in person.

A: This training is completely free to participants through secured grant funding.

A: No, you will need to register with the Traditional Health Worker Commission with the Oregon Health Authority and pass a background check to become certified if you want to work as a PWS. We will assist you in this process. It usually takes 6-8 weeks to complete the process.