What is a NC Certified Peer Support Specialist?

Our Recovery and Wellness Community is founded and run by peer support specialists, but what exactly does that mean? And what does that mean for the people we help support?

An NC Certified Peer Support Specialist is a person with lived experience in, and recovery from, substance use and/or mental health challenges. We help people who are struggling in the same ways we struggled because we ARE YOU. Peer Supports walk with you at your pace and support you in the ways you want to be supported. We believe that you are the expert on your own recovery and are to be treated like it!

CPSS’s are Certified by the NC UNC School of Social Work’s PSS Program. This certification requires a 40-hour intensive in-person training followed by 20 additional contact hours, along with 2 reference letters validating 1year of more of personal recovery for the applicant. The maintenance of the certification is every two years.

Peer Supports/AKA:

• “Badass miracle workers”

• “multitasking change-agent superstars ”

• “hope ninjas”

• “stigma kryptonite”

• Known for secretly thinking “you can’t scare me, I’m a peer support”

What a Peer Support Specialist is NOT

We are not Superheroes- we are all still in active recovery ourselves and any expectation of perfection in such areas is misguided. We believe people are the expert on their own recovery and with support, will be a superhero to themselves.

We are not Therapists- although therapy is a wonderful tool for personal growth, peer supports strive to maintain an equal power level with the people we serve and would never diagnose others if not credentialed to do so.

We are not Sponsors- our lived experience is offered as a beacon of hope to others, but not as a right to tell others what to do. We offer tools for those we serve to have personal options to choose from in their own recovery, and then we support their choices.

We are not your Spokesperson- We encourage people to speak for themselves. When asked, and in areas where their voice isn’t heard, we advocate for people, but we always seek to advocate with them or to empower them to advocate for themselves.

We are not your Resource- Although we know many community resources, we empower people to seek and find resources themselves, stepping in only when asked for help after the person has put in personal effort. We aren’t feeding people fish; we’re teaching them how to fish.

And....we are definitely not.....Babysitters, Medical Technicians, Chauffeurs, we aren’t your mom/dad/police, company gophers, or FRIENDS. We would never share our current personal burdens on you. We’re here for you and don’t want to add anything to your plate.