CPSs are mental health workers who have a psychiatric history and use this lived experience plus formal training to support other people with psychiatric histories.
With funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Live & Learn, Inc., in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago Center on Mental Health Services Research & Policy and the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities, is conducting a three-year, national study of employment outcomes of individuals who have obtained a certified peer specialist (CPS) credential.
The study is designed to improve the understanding of how CPS certification contributes to new graduates’ outcomes and opportunities, and improve the careers of workers with psychiatric disabilities. It uses an observational prospective cohort study design to follow a sample of 680 adults who recently received a CPS.
This study will help us better understand…
What are employment outcomes like after certification as a peer specialist?
Are employment outcomes associated with peer specialist graduates’ local labor markets?
How does certification impact peer specialist graduates’ psychological and economic outcomes?
Study Participants
Recruited from four states: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and Oregon
Completed certification in 2019 or 2020
Not currently working, working in peer support, or working in another job after completing their credential
An Advisory Committee with expertise in training and employment of peer specialists advises the team about study design, recruitment, data interpretation, and dissemination of findings. This includes review and input on survey protocols regarding item wording and language, qualitative interview protocols, and collaborating on dissemination of findings.
Lynnae Brown, Director, Howie The Harp Advocacy Center
Lala Doost, Wellness Voyage
Leah Harris, Founder and CEO, Shifa Consulting, Inc.
Lauren Jessell, New York University, Silver School of Social Work
Marva Weigelt, Certified Peer Specialist, Insight Peer Support
This project was supported in part by grant number 90IFRE0029, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201.