Recover, Inspire, Empower
What is a Peer Recovery Support Specialist?
A Peer Recovery Support Specialist is an individual that is trained, certified, living in recovery, willing to be vulnerable and share their lived experience to provide a listening ear, hope, and support to those in need.
Mission: To train and support an Oklahoma Peer Workforce to provide the highest quality services to Oklahomans with behavioral health needs.
Vision: To be a national leader and spread peer support through all areas of the behavioral health system and beyond.
Values: Integrity, excellent customer service, non-judgement, transparency, empathy, positivity, ethics, and person-centered.
"Peer support to me is the connection that you receive that allows you to see the world in a different light. Peer support helps one to see that they are not alone and that there is still good in the world. Peer support bridges the gap of feeling loss and alone, to getting connected back into the world we currently live in."
- Evidence for PRSS
- Resources
- Partnerships
More than 1,000 actively certified peers in the State of Oklahoma. From July 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022, the ODMHSAS Peer Division has trained and certified more than 500 peers. In FY 2021 Oklahoma peers provided 180,876 peer recovery support services to 35,445 behavioral health consumers.
Peer Support is an Evidence-Based Practice
According to Mental Health America (2019) Peer support has been shown to:
- Improve quality of life
- Improve whole health including chronic conditions like diabetes
- Decrease hospitalizations and inpatient stays
- Reduce the overall cost of services
Peer Recovery Support is an Evidence Based Practice and helping others in a professional setting requires training, skills, and important qualifications. Being in recovery is important, but becoming certified provides the skills, structure, and validity to use your recovery effectively to support consumers.
“Peer support saved my life. It made me look around the room and instantly realize I am not alone anymore. Having someone that has gone through the same things made me feel at ease. Peer support changes and saves lives. I am a spitting image of how Peer Support saves lives.”
PRSS Specialty Tracks, Continuing Education and Endorsements
Individuals who are Certified under the Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS) Program can attend quarterly supplemental trainings that focus on specializations in the Behavioral Health field. These trainings give Peers specific education on Recovery modalities, Substance Use Disorders, and other evidence based practices that will give them the tools to better serve Oklahoma's communities.
