Peer support specialists are a critical piece of the behavioral health workforce; however, salaries for these positions often do not reflect the value they provide to the recovery process, and there are limited career advancement options within the field.  This webinar brings together peers, providers, and state behavioral health authorities to discuss their experiences and strategies in developing more sustainable wages and career opportunities for peer support specialists. Peer support specialists are a critical piece of the behavioral health workforce; however, salaries for these positions often do not reflect the value they provide to the recovery process, and there are limited career advancement options within the field.  This webinar brings together peers, providers, and state behavioral health authorities to discuss their experiences and strategies in developing more sustainable wages and career opportunities for peer support specialists.

Format

Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity with post-test.

This presentation was recorded on May 12, 2022.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the value of peer support specialists and recognize the financing barriers and advancement challenges they face in developing their careers. 
• Develop strategies to overcome these barriers to create a more competitive wage and career ladder for advancement. 
• List steps that can be taken to initiate changes in legislation to increase Medicaid rates, contracting with peer run organizations, and developing career paths for peer support specialists.

Outline

• Case study: peer and recovery services in Texas 
• Strategies for supporting peer specialists  
• Case study: peer delivered services in Oregon  
• Case study: peer delivered services in Arizona 
• Attendee Q&A 

Target Audience

Counselor, Peer Specialist/Peer Support, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Social Worker

Instructional Level

Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced

Estimate Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour
Program Start Date: May 12, 2022
Program End Date: May 12, 2025

Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board

After completing the course, engage with colleagues in the mental health field through SMI Adviser's Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board. This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar. Access through the discussion tab.

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, CE credit for psychologists, CE credit for social workers, or a certificate of participation may do so by viewing the live presentation and completing the evaluation. Participants claiming CE credit for psychologists and those claiming CE credit for social workers, must have full attendance to claim credit. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians), CE certificate (psychologists), CE certificate (social workers) or certificate of participation (other disciplines) showing the event date and hours earned.

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this live event for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Psychologists

The American Psychiatric Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. American Psychiatric Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 

Social Workers 

American Psychiatric Association, provider #1743, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. American Psychiatric Association maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 05/18/2021 - 05/18/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 continuing education credits. 

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity. 

Instructor

• Noah Abdenour, Certified Peer Specialist; Director of Peer and Recovery Services Programs, Planning and Policy, Health and Human Services Commission, Medical and Social Services Division, Behavioral Health Services of Texas. Mr. Abdenour has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
• Stacey Manser, PhD; Research Scientist and Co-Director, Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, South/Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Manser has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
• Brandy Hemsley, Director, Office of Recovery and Resilience, Oregon Health Authority. Ms. Hemsley has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
• Jeremy Reed, Director of Workforce Development, Community Bridges Inc., Mesa, Arizona. Mr. Reed has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 

Planners

• Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Amy N. Cohen, PhD, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• John Torous, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Torous has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
• Sherin Khan, LCSW, Thresholds. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This website requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be:  Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact SMIadviserhelp@psych.org for technical assistance