Candidates must have demonstrated interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to and effectively work with recipients of mental health services AND two years of active participation in mental health self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, or recipient run organizations or similar experiences or programs.

As a Peer Specialist, you would provide direct mental health services to recipients in emergency, inpatient, outpatient, community support programs, and residential settings. You would serve as a role model for recipients and educate recipients about self-help techniques and self-help group process; teach them effective coping strategies, sometimes based on personal experience; assist them in clarifying their goals for rehabilitation and recovery; and help them to develop support systems. As a Peer Specialist, you would perform a range of tasks designed to assist recipients in regaining personal control over their lives and over their own recovery processes. Your tasks would focus on facilitating the development of self-help skills, support systems, coping strategies, and the increased hope and self-esteem that are central to recovery from a psychiatric disability.