The behavioral health peer support workforce is growing rapidly, currently numbering over 100,000 certified peer specialists. Peer specialists are people with lived experience who have initiated their own recovery and received training to support the recovery of others. As of 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia have established statewide programs to train and certify peer specialists with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges. Moreover, 47 states and the District of Columbia also fund at least some of their peer services using Medicaid dollars. Click the link to learn more:
https://www.center4healthandsdc.org/map-of-national-peer-training-programs.html
