Behavioral Health Springboard

A key behavioral health training program managed by BHS is the North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist Program (PSS), a certification and training program for individuals with lived experiences with mental illness and substance use disorders who are committed to supporting others along their journey through recovery.

PSS is one of BHS’s foundational programs, offering both in-person and online training content to peer support specialists across the state. The integration of peer support specialists into treatment and intervention processes has significantly increased access to mental health and substance use services and reduced stigma for affected individuals and communities.

To earn peer support certification, each applicant must complete 40 hours of coursework, which BHS monitors, and an additional 20 hours of continuing education coursework every two years to retain certification. As the sole peer support licensing and certifying entity for the state, BHS processed more than 1,100 new certifications and 1,000 recertifications last year alone.

BHS also hosts 11 hours of continuing education coursework online for the more than 4,200 certified peer support specialists across the state seeking to renew their licensure. These courses span topics as distinct as fetal alcohol syndrome and tobacco addiction, allowing peer supporters to develop skills and knowledge based on their interests and experience. A Peer Support Advisory Board — comprised exclusively of individuals who have taken the 40-hour course — also provides guidance to BHS about content development and delivery.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic’s well-documented impact on both behavioral and mental health as well as substance use, BHS’s development of North Carolina’s extensive peer support network is a particularly urgent and timely initiative.

Amid the nation’s current mental health crisis, BHS’s quality provider training, technical assistance, and education are helping address crucial workforce and support needs. Looking ahead, BHS is beginning to expand its programs and services to include initiatives targeting child and adolescent behavioral health, further strengthening its capacity for supporting providers working with client populations across the lifespan. As a trusted bridge between research, practice, and education, BHS remains a key resource and training hub for meeting the behavioral health needs of North Carolina’s communities.