Peer Wellness Specialist Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Simply put, peer support is a relationship between people who share similar backgrounds with mental health diagnosis, substance use disorders, or both.
A peer support worker is someone who is in active recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both. Peer support providers get specialized training so that they can support others with similar challenges.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), peer support offers a level of acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships. By sharing their own lived experiences and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self-empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self-determined lives for themselves.
Peer Support Specialists: 40+ hours of training, certified by Traditional Health Worker Commission, can either be for Adult Mental Health or Adult Addictions.
Peer Wellness Specialists: 80+ hours of training, certified by Traditional Health Worker Commission, can be for Adult Mental Health, Adult Addictions, or both.
The main difference between PSS and PWS has to do with the number of training hours and the additional material in a PWS training. Both trainings will teach participants skills such as communication, recovery tools, evidence-based care, navigating systems, and ethics and boundaries. The PWS training goes deeper into some of those topics, and covers additional topics such as health management, chronic diseases, group facilitation skills, adult learning styles, and more. The additional training hours can mean that a person trained as a PWS receives slightly higher starting wages. But both PSS and PWS trainings provide people with the foundational skills to provide peer support to others.
There are also peer providers called Certified Recovery Mentors, who are certified by the Mental Health and Addictions Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) to support people in recovery from substance use disorder.
While lived experience is a requirement in order to become a PSS or PWS, it is not the only thing we need to be an effective peer provider. A peer provider should also be committed to the values of peer support. These include being open-minded, respectful, empathetic, and transparent; it also means being able to share power and to focus on each person’s strengths.
For more details about peer support and the skills we use, on the job, read about the Core Competencies for Peer Workers in Behavioral Health Services.
In addition to holding these values, peer support workers also need to be able to learn skills that will assist them in their job role, such as community outreach, problem-solving, active listening, and conflict resolution, and technical skills like computer use and writing notes.
A person without lived experience can still take this training to expand their knowledge of peer support, but they would not be eligible to be certified and work as a peer provider in the state of Oregon.
In addition to our own recovery, many of us have past involvement with the legal system, such as being incarcerated, on parole, or with previous DHS cases. These do not automatically restrict you from becoming a PSS or PWS. While a background check is required to be certified, the state recognizes that this background can also be valuable examples of recovery for those that peer supporters work with. In the background check process, you will be asked to name any legal involvement. You must be honest and up-front about your background when applying. The background check is weighted, which means they consider the context, explanation, and letters of support from others about your situation.
Yes, there are – but please read all of this.
Many of us with mental health and addiction challenges have also been involved in the legal system, under sentence with the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB), done time in prison or jails, been on parole, or had previous DHS cases. This does not automatically restrict you from becoming a PSS or PWS. Our staff (and others across our communities and other organizations) are here to help you with the process if needed. Here is more information.
A background check is required to be certified as a PSS/PWS, but the state recognizes that our legal system involvement can be valuable experiences in peer support work. In the background check process, you will be asked to name any legal involvement in your past. You must be honest and up-front about your background when applying. The background check is weighted, which means they consider the context, explanation, and letters of support from others about your situation.
There are specific cases that would prohibit someone from working/billing insurance as a PSS or PWS. People who are on the "Medicaid Provider Exclusion List" cannot be certified and registered by the OHA to work as a PSS/PWS in the state of Oregon.
If you have a criminal history with any of "potentially disqualifying convictions" listed below, it does not necessarily mean you can't be a PSS or PWS.
BCU (the background check agency) does a weighing test to make a fitness determination. They take into consideration the nature or the charges or convictions, how long ago the events occurred, and the changes you have made in your life and recovery since the convictions occurred.
The list of "potentially disqualifying convictions" is posted at this link: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/background-checks/Documents/pdq-criminal-tier-3.pdf
There are some convictions that would determine a mandatory exclusion for PSS/PWS workers: Aggravated murder, Murder I, Murder II, Rape I, Sodomy I, Unlawful sexual penetration I or Sexual abuse I.
There are no educational requirements in order to become a peer support worker. You do not need a high school diploma or GED, college experience, or other job training. Your first-hand-knowledge of recovering from and living with mental health or substance use challenges is a requirement to be certified and work as peer support worker in Oregon. You will also need a state-issued ID or passport to submit as proof of identity when you register with the Traditional Health Worker Commission.
Peer providers work in a wide variety of settings. They work in emergency departments at hospitals, community health clinics, drop-in centers, homeless shelters, crisis teams, low-income housing, prisons and jails, residential treatment homes, respite centers, libraries, and more.
Starting wages for peer providers in the Portland area range from $22-$28 an hour.
Cascadia's Peer Wellness Specialist Training includes 80 hours of live, in-person training, as well as six independent learning activities that you will do on your own outside of the training hours.
Full attendance to all 80 hours of the training is required by the Traditional Health Worker Commission for certification.
If you miss any part of the training, you will have to make up that time in a future training before you can be certified. Be sure you are available to attend all of the training dates and that you are able to make the time commitment.
We currently offer two formats for our in-person training. One meets 9:00am-5:30pm for five days a week, for two weeks, for a total of 10 days. The other format meets 9:00am-5:30pm for two days a week, for five weeks, for a total of 10 days. We hope to launch a virtual version of our 80-hour training in 2027.
The training location will vary by session, but all Cascadia Health trainings will happen in the Portland Metro area and will be accessible by public transportation.
At this point, Cascadia's PWS training is in-person only, but we hope to launch a virtual version of our 80-hour PWS Training sometime in 2027.
The cost for Cascadia's 80-hour Peer Wellness Specialist Training is $1,150. We accept check, money order, or credit/debit card. A deposit of $300 will be collected to reserve your spot. Full payment will be due on the first day of the training. We will have an online system to receive payments in 2027.
We are always looking for funding sources that allow us to offer scholarships or financial aid for participants.
If you need financial assistance, we will have more information about this in 2027. You will be able to apply for scholarships with us when you apply to our training program, but our ability to offer scholarships is limited and not guaranteed. We recommend looking for other sources of funding, such as through employment specialists, workforce development organizations, vocational rehabilitation, case managers, and other providers that can assist you in exploring options.
We cannot refund deposits, but if you are unable to attend the session you originally signed up for, we can apply that deposit to a future session.
Checks or money orders can be mailed to: Cascadia Health Administrative Office, 847 NE 19th Ave, Portland, OR 97232.
You can drop off your check or money order at that location between 8:30am-5:00pm. Please write "PWS Training" in the memo line.
Yes, you are certified as a PWS when you complete all training requirements. However, if you want to work at an organization that bills insurance or requires proof of registration as a Traditional Health Worker (which most places do), you will need to register with the Traditional Health Worker Commission with the Oregon Health Authority and pass a background check. Our Cascadia trainers will assist you in the process. It usually takes 6-8 weeks to complete the process.
I receive services at Cascadia. Can I take the training? Does Cascadia have any scholarships for me?
Cascadia Health encourages people who currently get services at Cascadia to apply for the training. We continue to look for funding sources that will make our training free or at a reduced cost for current clients. On the application, you will be asked if you would like more information about scholarships and financial aid.
Cascadia Health welcomes current employees who would like to become peer providers to apply for the training.
Please note: the Cascadia PWS Training program does not have funding for Cascadia staff to take the training “on the clock.” The PWS certification is not a required training for most Cascadia staff. Anyone working at Cascadia would need to get approval from their current program supervisor to take this training. Current employees will most likely need to use PTO to attend the training and make sure their time off or modified schedule is approved by the program supervisor. We continue to look for funding sources that will make our training free or at a reduced cost for participants.
More questions?
Email peer.trainings@cascadiahealth.org. Upcoming training dates will be announced once confirmed.