Peer Wellness Specialist Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Simply put, peer support is a relationship between people who share similar experiences of being diagnosed with mental health conditions, 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 experiencing 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 experience 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, trauma-informed 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 equally and to focus on each person’s strengths.
For more details about the values of peer support, you can read this booklet put out by the National Association of Peer Supporters.
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 experience of recovery, many of us have lived experience of involvement with the legal system, 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 these experiences 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 these experiences 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 as a PSS or PWS.
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 lived experience 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 is about 85 hours, which includes time spent in the classroom as well as independent learning activities you will do on your own. We currently offer a two-week training, meeting all day for five days each of those weeks.
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 offer virtual options in the near future.
The cost for Cascadia’s Peer Wellness Specialist Training is $1,000. We are always looking for funding sources that allow us to offer scholarships or financial aid for participants.
In 2025 and 2026, we will be able to offer scholarships to everyone who participates in our PWS training, thanks to a Work Force Ready grant from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
No, you will need to register with the Traditional Health Worker Commission with the Oregon Health Authority and pass a background check to become certified if you want to work as a PWS. Our Cascadia trainers will assist you in the process. It usually takes 6-8 weeks to complete the process.
Cascadia Health encourages people who are current clients 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. Employees will need to work with their current supervisor and the PWS training staff to collaborate on making it possible to attend the training without taking time off work. We continue to look for funding sources that will make our training free or at a reduced cost for current staff. On the application, you will be asked about your current position and supervisor, and whether you would like more information about scholarships and financial aid.
More questions?
Email peer.trainings@cascadiahealth.org. Upcoming training dates will be announced once confirmed.