Bureau of Labor and Statistics BLS currently have Peer Support Specialists under the job title of 

21-1094 Community Health Workers

In Los Angeles Peer Support Specialists are hired under the job title Community Health Worker

The main requirement for a Peer Support Specialist is a personal history of behavioral health challenges and recovery and a willingness to learn how to share their story to help others. In September 2020 SB 803 passed allowing for counties to opt in to a certification process for Peer Support Specialists.  

Can a Community Health Worker working in the behavioral health arena take this certification? Yes but only if they themselves have a lived experience of behavioral health recovery.  

Currently in California there is no requirement for Community Health Workers to be certified no matter what field of specialization or area of service they are working in. Community health workers are most effective when they have  elements of "peerness" with those they serve. This is often language and cultural competency  or that they live in the same geographic area. Similar life experiences may be experiencing similar social determinants of health like, poverty, immigration, homlessness, or a chronic health condition like asthma, cancer, HIV, High blood pressure etc. with the people they serve. 

An article that may shed more light on this topic is:  

Defining Peer Roles and Status Among Community Health Workers and Peer Support Specialists in Integrated Systems of Care

Allen S. Daniels, Ed.D., Sue Bergeson, Keris Jän Myrick, M.B.A., M.S.

Published Online:17 Jul 2017https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201600378 

June 2021 Update

New Publication: Supporting Community Health Workers to Enhance Effectiveness of Behavioral Health-Primary Care Integration

More and more, community and migrant health centers (C/MHCs) are seeing the positive health benefits of integrating behavioral health care into their patients' primary care. As C/MCHs work to develop models of team-based care to provide integrated behavioral health services, attention is turning to the roles that Community Health Workers/Promotores/as (CHW/Ps) can play in the promotion of emotional wellness and the provision of mental health services to the community. 

Click here for the Full Report with Appendices

Click here for the Full Report without Appendices

Click here for the Executive Summary

• Length Of Study:  9 months (3 quarters) 
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Online Type: Asynchronous and Synchronous 

In recognition of the impact of the pandemic on our communities, Futuro Health is waiving tuition for all programs and courses at this time. 

• Iversen Wellness and Recovery Center
• Six Stones Wellness Center

 Promotores mission is to increase awareness of mental health issues, decrease family stress, and prevent mental health crisis for the Latino and Hmong community. Topics focus on: Prevention and Early intervention, Mental Health & Wellness, Self-Advocacy, Parenting, Life Skills, Physical Health, Cultural Awareness 

If you need more information or a presentation, 

Contact: 

Norma Servin-Lacy Program Supervisor  530-720-1257   nservin-lacy@nvcss.org 

Yoseline Lopez Promotores Case Manager 530-520-4564 ylopezmejia@nvcss.org 

Ana Camacho Promotores Case Manager 925-518-3026 acamacho@nvcss.org 

In Collaboration with the Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County: 

Ge Yang Program Manager 530-534-7474 ext. 104 gyang@hmongculturalcenter.net 

Luv Her Promotores Family Specialist 530-534-7474 ext. 109  her@hmongculturalcenter.net

Promotores, Txhawb

Uses strengths based approach to empower families when delivering services. 

Immigration - Refugee Mental Health Advocacy

Immigrants and Refugees Stakeholder Advocacy (IMM-REF) is funded through the Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) to provide local-level advocacy, training and education, and outreach and engagement to the Southeast Asian Immigrants and Refugees in Butte and Shasta Counties regarding mental health. 

 AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY CULTURAL CENTER  

The AAFCC’s mission is to empower and embrace African American families and communities by reclaiming, restoring and revitalizing our cultural heritage, values and identity.  The AAFCC is a place where people convene, connect and celebrate the essence of our community in order to bring about healing to create prosperous, vibrant lives.

Committed to Serving the Community

 Personal Peace Institute

The Personal Peace Institute for Adults and Youth is a program designed to help participants become the most peaceful version of themselves. This program is taught by a certified anger management facilitator with over 30 years’ worth of experience!

Contact:

Bobby Jones Sr. Director 

Tel. (530) 532-1205

Fax. (530) 532-9246

3300 SPENCER AVE, 

OROVILLE, CA 95965

City Of Philadelphia  DBHIDS: Peer Support Toolkit

DBHIDS’ new toolkit is designed to support behavioral health treatment agencies with the process of integrating peer providers into their service settings. The Peer Support Toolkit incorporates many of the promising practices and resources that have emerged during the last decade of Philadelphia’s recovery-focused system transformation effort. Tools in this kit are designed to help agencies to recruit, retain, and effectively deploy people in recovery in a variety of peer support roles. The resources and information provided is relevant for executive leadership along with supervisors and peer staff. 

• Module 1: Preparing the Organizational Culture
• Module 2: Recruiting and Hiring Peer Staff
• Module 3: Service Delivery
• Module 4: Supervision and Retention