The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), today published National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification for substance use, mental health, and family peer workers. The national model standards were created to accelerate universal adoption, recognition, and integration of the peer workforce across all elements of the health care system. A peer worker is someone who, through their own lived experience of addressing a substance use or mental health issue, works to help others.
SAMHSA collaborated with federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local partners including peer specialists, and also requested and incorporated public comments, to develop the national model standards. SAMHSA’s national model standards are not intended as a substitute for any state certifications, but instead have been developed as guidance for states, territories, tribes, and others, to promote quality and encourage alignment and reciprocity across often disparate state peer support certifications.
