Additional information about Montana state certification is available from the Board of Behavioral Health.
Click here to access forms related to CBHPSS Certification and Licensing.
To apply for certification, you must:
- Complete a 40 hour peer support education program. The program must include an exam and verification must be sent to the Board by the training provider. You can get your training from MPN.
- Submit the Supervisor Agreement and Supervision Plan.
- Attest that you have a behavioral health disorder.
- 2 years in recovery with no hospitalizations or incarcerations.
- Submit a Legal and Health History Content Form
- Provide a narrative that outlines the recovery program from the behavior health disorder.
- Complete the fingerprint/background check process (includes a fee of $27.25 to the Montana Department of Justice).
- Pay a licensure fee of $125.
Certification must be renewed yearly and expire on December 31 each year.
Renewal requirements:
- Complete 20 hours of continuing education and submit proof of completion. (May be less if certifying after July 1.)
- Maintain clinical supervision documentation.
- Attest to continued recovery (no periods of incarceration, hospitalization, or inpatient admission related to behavioral health disorder).
- Pay licensure fee.
It can be advantageous to carry individual professional liability insurance, especially if you are working independently instead of as part of an organization. The National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC.org) offers a discounted rate for individual professional liability insurance plans. NAADAC members are able to access insurance that is offered through American Professional Agency, Inc. (Memebrship in NAADAC is $94.00 a year, with additional discounts for students and retired and military individuals.) Insurance rates start at $32 and increase depending on the amount of coverage. You can call American Professional Agency, Inc. by phone at 1-800-421-6694 x 2265 or email at mentalhealth@americanprofessional.com. NAADAC.org includes the program highlights of the CBHPSS coverage. You can also apply for the insurance right from the website. It is easy to navigate. It is a great way to invest in yourself and the recovery movement and increase your professionalism!
A person must be certified by a VA approved peer support certification not-for-profit organization or a state approved certification organization.
It is important to remember that just meeting a state’s certification training requirement without also having the state peer specialist certification is insufficient to be approved for VA. The law says must be certified by –
- a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for a peer specialist position; or
- a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position.
Also, if a peer specialist is certified by a state entity, if that state requires periodic recertification, the peer specialist must comply with that requirement and have documentation that they are current with their certification. Not maintaining certification could result in a change of duty assignment to non-patient care or loss of position. Montana’s Peer Network’s PS 101 course is approved by the VA and the state for certification purposes.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
MPN offers various training opportunities for people looking to become Peer Recovery Coaches or Certified Behavioral Heath Peer Support Specialists. We also offer an array of trainings eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for CBHPSS. Visit our Learning Platform for more information.
Peer Support Jobs
Montana’s Peer Network does not necessarily endorse any jobs listed. The information is provided to help our members find positions.
If you would like us to post a job announcement, please email Andi.
Peer Support Specialists
Peer Support Specialist provides community-based peer support services that are designed to promote the recovery, empowerment, and community integration of individuals who have severe and chronic behavioral health challenges. Will facilitate opportunities for individuals receiving service to direct their own recovery and advocacy process, by teaching and supporting individuals. Promoting the knowledge of available service options and choices of natural resources in the community and help facilitate the development of a sense of wellness and self-worth.
Havre - Great Falls - Great Falls PACT - Kalispell - Helena PACT
Peer Support Specialist-Recovery Doula (Lewistown)
The Behavioral Health Peer Support/Recovery Doula (RD) combines lived experience with substance use, mental health or chronic illness diagnoses and training as Peer support Specialist to provide delivery support services to families scheduled for delivery of their babies and connect them with continuing after-birth resources in their home communities. Doulas are trained, experienced professionals who provide continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to parents before, during, and after childbirth. Recovery doulas combine lived experience with substance use, mental health, or chronic illness diagnoses and training as Peer Support Specialists to provide doula support services to expecting families. A successful doula has the ability to nurture, support, advocate, and gently guide as needed to provide practical, well-informed advice as well as fully supporting the parents’ choices with regard to having the best birth experience.
Peer Support Specialist-Missoula
The Peer Support Specialist is responsible for the delivery of peer support services in a foster care or group home setting. A successful Peer Support Specialist has life experience in persistent mental illness and has participated in mental health services that led to recovery or rehabilitation. This position holds a special role on the team and in the eyes of the clients, providing supportive services to clients with severe to moderate mental illness, or co-occurring disorders.
Certified Peer Support Specialist - PACT Missoula
The Peer Support Specialist is a transdisciplinary team member of a fast-paced and energized Assertive Community Treatment team. A successful Peer Support Specialist has life experience in persistent mental illness and has participated in mental health services that led to recovery or rehabilitation. This position holds a special role on the team and in the eyes of the clients, providing supportive services to clients with severe and disabling mental illnesses (SDMI).
Peer Support Pulse Blog
What kind of role model do I want to be today?
Today, before I act, I often ask myself what kind of role model do I want to be today? Six years ago, before I was in recovery, I never gave this much thought, or any thought really. I also didn’t realize the effect that my actions had on those around me, especially people like my nieces or nephews. I was about two years in recovery and was hanging out with my 12-year-old nephew, we were talking about life when he looked at me and said “Uncle Ty, do you remember when I wouldn’t share my taco with you one time, and you grabbed it and smashed it? You used to be mean!” I was absolutely blown away and devastated at the same time. I never realized the impact I had on him or the negative role model I was being. It was at that point in my life I decided from that point on I was going to be a positive role model for him and all the people around me.
CBHPSS Workforce Development
At the time of this article there are 210 certified behavioral health peer support specialists in Montana. Since the first peer supporter was certified by the board of behavioral health in September of 2018, there have been a total of 400 peer supporters certified. Roughly half or 50% are still working today. The other way to look at it is 50% or half are not. Losing half of its workforce in just over 5 years is not a sign of a healthy workforce. Historically MPN trains around 100 peer supporters a year, half of those who complete Peer Support 101 will not go onto get certified. Which is a topic for another article. Half of those who do complete training and are certified will not be for long. The CBHPSS workforce in Montana needs additional support.
The Journey
Today, I invite you to join me on a journey. The map I was given at birth was filled with detours, unexpected stops, fast-paced highways, and scenic routes, accompanied by plenty of bumps and flat tires. Through adaptation and countless obstacles, I navigated a less-traveled road—a highway leading to self-awareness and recovery. I want to pause a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you here today reading this. I know you have faced your own battles, and your presence signifies that you’ve found hope after being hurt and discovered the courage to keep showing up for yourselves. Thank you for allowing me the space to be vulnerable and share my story.
Recovery Month 2024
Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) leads the nation in celebrating Recovery Month, a time dedicated to promoting awareness and understanding of mental health and substance use disorders, celebrating those in recovery, and highlighting the effective treatments available. Recovery Month has been a vital part of SAMHSA’s efforts to combat the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders, and in 2024, the initiative continues with renewed energy and focus on the theme, “Hope, Healing, and Health.”
A Word on Harm Reduction
Harm reduction involves guiding individuals toward recovery and giving them a second chance at life. The United States’ integrated recovery system claims responsibility for the healing process. The disease model suggests that addiction is a natural allergy, and having the condition for life means that people are encouraged to participate in a 12-step healing process, which offers a legitimate path to recovery. This involves regularly attending meetings, working through the 12 steps, and helping other individuals with alcoholism to keep their addiction in check. On the other hand, the harm reduction model takes a different approach to treating individuals struggling with addiction. Harm reduction is a public health model in which the goal may be abstinence. Still, there are smaller steps that one could take to approach the intersection of addiction and recovery. Embracing harm reduction enables peer support specialists to connect with their peers.
Community and Peer Support for LGBTQIA+ People
Community and peer support are important components of recovery for LGBTQ+ individuals dealing with mental health issues. They provide a lifeline of understanding, acceptance, and encouragement and help mitigate the adverse effects of discrimination, family issues, and internalized stigma while fostering resilience and promoting well-being. Several organizations, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), PFLAG, GLAAD, and the Human Rights Campaign, emphasize the importance of such support systems in improving the mental health outcomes of LGBTQ+ individuals.
A Life of Recovery
Recovery is the story of my life. Textbook Psychology explains why my thoughts, behavior, senses, and emotions function without cause. That is, until you dive into the ocean of the heart, exploring love’s complex and hidden world. Recovery helps me know that the only person I can truly change is me. Still, I can positively affect the world if I am willing to make that change. I have learned that recovery is vital in life and will positively influence the future.
Peer Support Career Found Me
I used to believe I had no unique gifts or talents to offer the world. I lamented the belief that happiness could not be found in my work; it had to be uncovered in my hobbies. Work was to be something I trudged through to get a paycheck utterly separate from my authenticity. As I forged a path through the business world, I gained many external accolades from my professional environment that fulfilled a sense of accomplishment but did not replenish my heart.
The Prism of the Mind
Until I know the nature of my mind, I cannot understand what mental health is. What is the fundamental nature of the mind? Defining the nature of the mind is a debatable subject for scientists, and it offers many convincing theories. The same is valid for mental health conditions; there are subtle differences between different scientific studies, yet the most widely accepted is in the Medical/Biological and Psychological perspectives, which posit mental illness as a disease or a disorder of the brain, hence the need for a diagnosis. Typical treatments include medications, interventions, lifestyle changes, therapies, and psychoanalysis. I am grateful for the advancement of science because mental health often requires medical treatment, but have we thrown the baby out with the bath water?
Self-Care Inspires Life
I was a new manager in a clothing retail store in the corporate world. In the beginning, I worked 50-60 hours a week. I managed 12-15 employees at any given time with scheduling, crunching numbers, training, and orientations. I sat in my office, dreaming of a way to excuse myself and walk away from the rat race. The job represented how I lived until then, sacrificing my vitality for security. I would leave work daily, pick up my daughter, and stop for my self-care, a bottle or two of wine. I would go home and pour myself a mind-numbing glass of Cabernet, help my daughter with her homework, and put her to bed. I would pass out around midnight, wake up the following day, and start the cycle again.