Employment: Peer Specialist

Peer Support Specialists offer compassionate support to people living with mental illness. We offer ourselves as active examples that recovery is possible, and we support others as they recover from mental illness.

Job Bank

The Pennsylvania Peer Support Coalition's Job Bank offers information about peer support and other mental health job openings throughout Pennsylvania.

Listing a Job

If you are an employer seeking the services of a Peer Support Specialist, visit the List a Job page for information on posting the job on this Web site.

Working as a Certified Peer Support Specialist

Paid positions for Certified Peer Support Specialists continue to grow throughout Pennsylvania. In 2007 Pennsylvania received approval to implement a service called Peer Support Services. Peer Support Services are now a required Medicaid service in Pennsylvania. This means the service must be available in every county in the state. And that means there are jobs for Certified Peer Specialists in every county. To find out which agencies in your area employ peer specialists contact the county MH/MR office. Visit the MH/MR Program Administrators Association of PA Web site to find the contact information for each county in Pennsylvania.

This does not, however, mean that everyone who becomes a Certified Peer Specialist must work in a Medicaid-billable Peer Support Services program. Many people who complete the certification training find other jobs in the mental health system. Certified Peer Specialists work in a variety of settings, including residential programs, hospitals, warmlines, psychiatric rehabilitation programs, consumer and family satisfaction teams, advocacy organizations, and drop-in centers.

The skills taught in the certification training are valuable skills in any mental-health related job.