Your Story Your Work

Individuals in New York State can have exciting and fulfilling careers as mental health and addiction peer professionals.

There are numerous settings where peer professionals are used, including Community-based programs such as Recovery Centers, Prevention Programs, Recovery Community Organizations, Treatment Facilities including Outpatient, Residential, Detox/Inpatient, Harm Reduction Services, Hospitals, Medical Offices, Criminal Justice Settings, Insurance Companies, State and Local Government Offices (Mental Health, Public Health, etc.), Schools, Housing Programs, and more!

Peer professionals often work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide non-clinical services for individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorder challenges.

In New York, there are 3 options for becoming peer professionals: Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) for mental health peers while Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPA) and Certified Addiction Recovery Coaches (CARC) are addiction and substance use peers.

Your experience with mental health and addiction can be a tremendous asset! Consider becoming a peer professional in New York today!

To learn more about becoming a Certified Peer Specialist, visit https://nypscb.org/

To learn more about becoming a CRPA or CARC, visit https://www.asapnys.org/ny-certification-board/

COMING SOON: New York will soon be featured on the Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Center website!  This site will offer an easy-to-navigate, step-by-step tool to help you find out how to become a peer professional in New York.

This project was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $2,250,000 with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.