All Topics Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services Mental Health Support Services Peer Mental Health Support Services

Mental health agencies, counseling centers and independent, peer-run organizations that offer, as a component of their programming, the services of peer support providers with "lived experience" who have been trained and certified to work with individuals experiencing mental health concerns or psychological trauma. Peer support specialists work with individuals as they develop and implement a personal recovery plan, which can also serve as a contract for engagement, and function as a complement to traditional clinical care. Tasks may include assisting their peers in articulating their goals for recovery and learning and practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, supporting them in their treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self help strategies based on their own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services. Peer support services are an evidence-based mental health model of care that is recognized by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as an important component in the delivery of effective treatment.