Application fee
$150
Training
75 hours, approved vendor
Lived experience
Mental health recovery
Exam
PCB CPS exam
Renewal
Every 2 years, 36 hours

A certification for people with personal, lived experience of their own mental health recovery and wellness. As a Certified Peer Specialist, you use your own recovery experience and standardized peer training to support others on their pathway to recovery and wellness. PCB certification is required to provide Medicaid billable peer support services.

Is this certification right for me?

It's a fit if you have personal, lived experience with a mental health disorder, have sustained your recovery and wellness, and want to provide peer support services, including Medicaid billable peer support.

Consider a different certification if your lived experience is recovery from a substance use disorder (see Certified Recovery Specialist), you are a family member of someone with a substance use disorder (see Certified Family Recovery Specialist), or you work in substance use prevention programs (see Certified Prevention Specialist, a different credential that shares the CPS abbreviation).

Requirements

All requirements must be met and documented before you apply. Work experience is not required.

  • 75 hours of mandatory peer specialist training
    Only training from one of the three authorized vendors counts: Copeland Center, The Institute for Recovery or RI Consulting. Send a copy of your training certificate. If you have lost it, ask your training vendor for a replacement.

  • Personal, lived experience with a mental health disorder
    You sign an attestation in the application that you have lived experience with a mental health disorder and have sustained recovery and wellness.

  • Statement of lived experience
    At least one page describing your pathway to recovery and wellness, how you achieved and maintain it, and how and why you feel ready to support others in a similar situation.

  • Be at least 18 years old
    You confirm this in the acknowledgements and release section of the application.

  • Live or work in Pennsylvania
    At the time you apply. The Certified Peer Specialist is a non-reciprocal credential recognized only in Pennsylvania.

  • Pass the Certified Peer Specialist exam
    Taken after your application is approved. See the exam section below.

Your journey

  1. Complete the 75-hour peer specialist training

    With one of the three authorized training vendors. Keep your training certificate.

  2. Gather your documents

    Your training certificate, your signed attestation of lived experience and your statement of lived experience.

  3. Apply online or by PDF

    Apply through your online account and pay by credit card, or send the PDF application by mail, email or fax. Online is fastest.

    Review: up to 10 business days

  4. Take the Certified Peer Specialist exam

    Once approved, PCB emails you to register. Choose an on-demand online exam or an in-person paper exam.

  5. You're certified

    Once you have taken your exam, it must be graded and reviewed by the Testing Manager. Once that step is completed, and if you pass, then you are provided a credential in the system and your paper certificate will be mailed to you within 10 business days, and your certification lasts two years from the exam date.

The exam

The Certified Peer Specialist exam has 50 multiple-choice questions and you have 1.5 hours. You can take it on demand online (desktop or laptop only) or on paper at an in-person location on set dates. It is developed from the SAMHSA Core Competencies for Peer Workers in Behavioral Health and covers three areas: recovery planning and collaboration; ethical responsibility and professionalism; and person-centered, relationship-focused practice. To pass, you need 37 correct answers out of 50.

If you don't pass, you can retest after 7 days, up to three retakes. After a fourth failed attempt you must submit a study plan to PCB and wait three (3) months.

 Online exam information · Retest form

Need an accommodation for a disability or religious obligation? Request it in writing, with documentation, at least 60 days before your exam.

Keeping your certification current

The Certified Peer Specialist certification renews every two years. You need 36 hours of education: 24 hours specific to peer support and/or recovery practices, 3 hours in ethics, and 9 hours in any topic you choose, plus the renewal fee.

Recertify before the end of your two-year period to avoid a lapse. Recertification requirements and fees

Common questions about the Certified Peer Specialist

Is the Certified Peer Specialist the same as the Certified Prevention Specialist?

No. They share the CPS abbreviation but are different credentials. The Certified Peer Specialist is for people with lived experience of mental health recovery who provide peer support. The Certified Prevention Specialist is for professionals who work in substance use prevention.

Do I need work experience to become a Certified Peer Specialist?

No. Work experience is not required. If you work in the behavioral health field, the application asks you to list your current job.

Which peer training counts toward the Certified Peer Specialist?

Only the 75-hour peer specialist training from one of the three authorized vendors: Copeland Center, The Institute for Recovery or RI Consulting. No other peer trainings are accepted.

Do I have to live or work in Pennsylvania to be eligible for most of the credentials offered by PCB?

YES

Should I submit all documentation with full application and fee at the same time?

YES, if a test is required you will be notified of future dates, locations and times after approval of application.