Peer Support

What is a peer?

Certified Peer Support Specialists are trained to use lived experiences in a professional manner to help other people recover. Peer Support Specialists; give encouragement, hope, guidance, and understanding through the recovery process. We utilize lived experiences to form a mutual relationship of equals to support those in recovery. We assist them with the process of moving from hopelessness to hope!

Working in peer support is an especially rewarding experience. You get to share the tools, skills, and information you have learned to transform your own life with individuals going through similar struggles. Not only do you get to contribute to the lives of others, but you also improve your own recovery and wellbeing in the process.

If you are interested in working as a Peer Support Specialist, you will likely have to participate in some sort of training. Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio’s Certified Peer Support Specialist Training is a 40-hour course provided over five consecutive days designed for certification in the states of both Kentucky and Ohio. 

Upcoming Training Info

The next training will be held virtually the week of June 9-13, 2025 from 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM EST. 

The deadline for applications, references, and payment is May 30, 2025. 

Participants must have a laptop or PC to complete the virtual training. Mobile devices (phones, tablets, iPads) cannot be used to participate in activities.

The cost of this training, testing, and certification is $350. Hardship scholarships are available based on need.

Upcoming Training Dates:

June 9-13 | August 18-22 | October 20-24 | December 8-12

DBHDID-TRIS (Continuing Education Site/Instructions)

Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)

Your wellness, your way. A game plan for your everyday life.

Core components of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan include:

1. Wellness Toolbox
2. Daily Plan
3. Stressors
4. Early Warning Signs
5. When Things are Breaking Down or Getting Much Worse
6. Crisis Plan
7. Post-Crisis Plan
8. My Wellness My Way Assessment

Learn more and find classes

Certified Peer Support Specialist

Building Recovery capital and skills to share with others

With evidence of sustained, long-term recovery, individuals who want to use their lived experiences are encouraged to re-evaluate their own recovery while generating strategies for working with others. Core content areas include:

1. Principles of Recovery
2. The Shift from Maintenance to Recovery
3. An Overview of Behavioral Health
4. Peer Support
5. Wellness
6. Spirituality in the Recovery Process
7. Wellness Planning
8. Mutual-Aid Groups
9. Using Your Recovery Story as a Recovery Tool
10. Cultural Competency
11. Trauma 101
12. Suicide Prevention
13. Active Listening and the Art of Asking Questions
14. Problem Solving
15. Avenues for Change
16. The Power of Positivity
17. Intentional Decision Making
18. Ethics and Professional Boundaries
19. Power, Conflict, and Integrity in the Workplace

Group Facilitation Skills

Upskilling individuals with the knowledge to lead effectively

MHA’s Group Facilitation Skills Training was born out of the need for more group services utilizing telehealth during COVID-19. While virtual facilitation is covered, this training encourages individuals to assess their facilitation skills in all forms with strategies to improve engagement and more confidently manage group dynamics. Core content areas include:

1. Adult Learning
2. Role of the Facilitator
3. Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence
4. Session Planning
5. Classroom Management
6. Virtual Facilitation

Objectives:

1. Explain the role of the facilitator
2. Identify critical facilitator competencies and plan for self-development
3. Utilize effective communication skills
4. Stimulate participant involvement
5. More effectively and comfortably manage group dynamics and participant conflicts
6. Identify differences between live and virtual event facilitation

Leadership Academy

Ongoing development and upskilling the workforce

The Leadership Academy fosters initial leadership development and increases basic skills contributing to professionalism in the workplace. This training is a prerequisite to the family and youth peer support certifications, where consumers with lived experience with a mental health or substance use disorder instill hope and help other consumers find their path to recovery. Training blocks include:

1. Leadership Roles
2. Communication Skills
3. Decision Making
4. Dealing with Conflict
5. Effective Advocacy
6. Collaboration and Partnership

Get an in-depth look at the scope of this training. 908 KAR 2:230 and 908 KAR 2:240 require Kentucky Family Leadership Academy (KFLA) training. KFLA training is a prerequisite training to a core competency training for potential Family Peer Support Specialists and Youth Peer Support Specialists.

This curriculum has been approved by Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID).