Certified Peer Counselor Training

What are Peer Counselors?

Peer Counselors are people who have experienced mental illness themselves and are on their own recovery journey. Peer counselors are well grounded in their own recovery and model competency in ongoing coping skills. They help other consumers identify goals that promote recovery and resiliency and assist them in identifying services and activities to help them reach these goals.

What is a Certified Peer Counselor?

Medicaid has rules about the mental health services they will pay for. For a mental health agency to be reimbursed for peer counseling services, the peer support person must be certified by the state of Washington as a Certified Peer Support Counselor.

To be certified as a Peer Counselor a person must meet these criteria:

• Self-identify as a consumer who is receiving or has received mental health services or a person who is a parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of thirteen, or is a parent or legal guardian of a child age thirteen or older and are involved in the treatment plan (The services may be either privately funded or publicly funded.)
• Demonstrate they have been well grounded in their own recovery for at least one year at the time of application
• Receive specialized training approved by the State of Washington Mental Health Division (free training)
• Pass a written and oral exam administered by the Washington State Mental Health Divison (free exam)
• Register with the Washington State Department of Health as a Registered Counselor (small fee)
• Pass a Washington State criminal background check (free)

How do I enroll in a Peer Counselor Training in order to become certified?

The Washington State Mental Health Division sponsors state-wide trainings. Find out about: state training opportunities.

OR

King County also provides the state-approved training. You must be a King County mental health consumer to qualify for the training provided by King County. Applicants requesting King County training should have or desire to have employment in the King County public Mental Health System as a Certified Peer Counselor. However, certification as a Peer Counselor does not guarantee employment.

Download Application. You can fill the King County Peer Counselor Training form out online but you MUST print out your application as it requires your original signature. Your signed and dated application, and your answers to the application questions, should be submitted to:

Terry Crain
King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Divison
401 Fifth Ave. Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98104

Training slots are limited and therefore submission of the application does not guarantee admission. If you are selected for the training, you will receive a letter inviting you to register. Applications accepted for training are prioritized in the following order:

1. Individuals currently employed in the mental health field
2. Individuals currently volunteering in the mental health field
3. All other applicants based on date the application is submitted.