Benefits of working as a certified peer specialist: results from a statewide survey.

Objective: Certified peer specialists (CPSs) are an emerging workforce across the United States and are a critical component of recovery-oriented mental health systems. This study examined possible benefits of working as a CPS.

Method: A statewide survey of trained CPSs in Pennsylvania was conducted in Winter/Spring 2010.

Certified peer specialist roles and activities: results from a national survey.

Objective: In 2001 Georgia became the first state to allow services provided by certified peer specialists (CPSs) to be reimbursed by Medicaid. Six other states have since followed Georgia's lead, with many others in the process of doing so. This study examined where CPSs work and what they do.