Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate
Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate
Since 2010, the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Program has supported over 500+ students and thousands of participants in enriching their skills as counselors, case managers, outreach workers, advocates, and other peer provider roles.
General Information
As individuals who have personal lived experience with mental health and/or substance use challenges, peers offer a valuable resource to the behavioral health system. The Program consists of three training opportunities to help peers develop their practices.
Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Entry Course
The Entry Course prepares participants for entry-level peer provider roles through experiential trainings that touch on all core competencies for peer-based work. Most participants are new to peer work or early in their careers. Some peers who have already been working in the field but have not had much formal training may find the course improves their skills as well.
- Approved training for California Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification
- 12 weeks, twice a week, Tues/Thu 10am-2pm
- twice yearly: Fall and Spring
- partnership with San Francisco State University, takes place at SFSU Downtown Campus
- requires an application (for more details see “application” page)
- small, supportive cohorts of 13-15 students
- diverse instructors from across the provider spectrum
- free of charge, materials provided
- ongoing networking with peers in the field
- basic career/job application skills development
- alumni events and resources after graduation
Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Advanced Course
The Advanced Course provides additional training, education, and workforce development opportunities to individuals who are currently providing peer services and/or advocacy in the community and would like to obtain further enrichment and training in the field.
- 8 weeks, twice a week, Tues/Thu 3pm-6pm
- twice yearly: Winter and Summer
- requires an application (for more details see “application” page)
- small, supportive cohorts of 13-15 students
- diverse instructors from across the provider spectrum
- free of charge, materials provided
- ongoing networking with peers in the field
- alumni events and resources after graduation
Leadership Academy
The RAMS Leadership Academy is a monthly training series designed to support and educate peers providers working in the behavioral health field. These events are designed to provide training on a variety of topics, such as: group facilitation, boundaries, trauma-informed care, and motivational interviewing, among others. These interactive trainings are held in the community and are open to all peer providers and counselors in the Bay Area.
Leadership Academy trainings are always held on the fourth Friday of the month. The trainings have many activities, handouts, and videos to support all learning styles.
- Monthly on the fourth Friday, 10am-12pm (with exception of some holidays)
- Currently virtual
- Open to all Bay Area residents – RSVP required
- Diverse instructors from across the provider spectrum
- 20-40 participants on average
- Free of charge
To receive announcements about our application releases and monthly Leadership Academy training registration forms, please sign up for our email list by clicking HERE.
Peer Internship Program
Peer Internship Program
The RAMS Peer Counseling Internship is a 9-month, up-to 20 hours/week, hands-on training program for individuals (or their family members) who have accessed mental health and/or substance use services in the past, and who are interested in pursuing Peer Counseling as a career path.
General Information
The program pays interns $17.34/hour and helps individuals learn to appropriately utilize their lived experience to benefit the wellness and recovery of participants being served. Interns receive weekly individual and group supervision as well as professional development training which includes topics such as Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, Ethics and Boundaries, and Group Facilitation.
Peer interns are placed in a variety of settings including community-based clinics, drop-in centers, and treatment programs where they work directly with participants and staff. The intention of the Peer Internship Program is to provide interns with hands-on experience in behavioral health services so they can then take the skills they learned to move forward in their careers in the field.
Contact
For any questions or to get on the email list for application releases and other updates, please e-mail peerinternship@ramsinc.org.
