Peer Support Services

Welcome to the Idaho Peer Support Services page! This resource hub is designed for the peer workforce, agency administrators, providers, and supervisors of peer support services which include:

Adult Peer Support
Youth Peer Support
Family Peer Support
Recovery Coaching

Explore tools, best practices, and guidance tailored to enhance the quality and effectiveness of peer support services.

We also encourage you to visit the Magellan Center for Recovery and Resiliency here, which offers tools and resources to support recovery-oriented care.

Integrating and Supervising Peer Support Services

The following resources may be helpful for agencies who are integrating peer support services and supervisors who are working with peer support staff. Be sure to review the Magellan supervisory protocol for guidelines on supervising peer support specialists, family support partners, youth peer support specialists, and recovery coaches.
Below are key resources to support effective integration and supervision of peer support services:

Training & Certification

Adult Peer Support Training & Certification
- Find information about Idaho’s Adult Peer Support Training entities on the right side of this page under CPSS Training Contacts.
- BPA Health is the certifying body for Idaho’s certified peer support specialists (CPSS).
Family Support Training & Certification
- Find information about Idaho’s Family Support Training entities on the right side of this page under CFSP Training Contacts.
- BPA Health is the certifying body for Idaho’s certified family support partners (CFSP). Information about Family Support Certification can be found here.
Recovery Coach Training & Certification
- Find information about Idaho’s Peer Recovery Coach Training here.
- The Idaho Board of Alcohol/Drug Counselor Certification (IBADCC) is the certifying body for Idaho’s certified peer recovery coaches. Find information about Peer Recovery Coach Certification here under P-PRC Provisional Peer Recovery Coach and PRC Peer Recovery Coach.
Youth Peer Support Training
- Youth Peer Support Training is open to Idaho certified peer support specialists (CPSSs) who meet the qualifications for training attendance. If you are a CPSS who is interested in attending, please visit the training page and scroll down to the bottom of the page for information about upcoming sessions.
- CPSSs who successfully complete Youth Peer Support Training receive a training certificate of completion. The certificate must be retained as proof of youth support endorsement.
- To maintain an active youth peer support endorsement, CPSSs must keep their peer support certification up to date.

Peer Support Groups

Adult peer support, youth peer support, family peer support, and recovery coaching services can be provided both individually and in groups. For additional guidance on peer support groups, please refer to Appendix C: IBHP Program Services, available on the Provider Handbooks page.

Adult Peer Support, Youth Peer Support, Family Peer Support, and Recovery Coaching Services can be billed at the group rate for a minimum of one IBHP member.
The number of facilitators for Adult Peer Support, Family Peer Support, and Recovery Coaching groups should be appropriate for the size of the group. For Youth Peer Support groups, the minimum ratio is 1 facilitator to 6 participants. Youth peer support groups exceeding 6 participants require 2 facilitators or must be conducted as separate groups.
When two or more providers facilitate a group, only one provider can submit a claim for a member. Two or more providers facilitating the same group cannot bill for the same members within the group.
Peer support groups are non-clinical. It is best practice for:
- Certified peer support specialists to facilitate adult peer support groups.
- Certified family support partners to facilitate family support groups.
- Certified recovery coaches to facilitate recovery coach groups.
- Certified peer support specialists who have completed Youth Peer Support Training to facilitate youth peer support groups.
Peer support groups are not Skills Training and Development (STAD) groups. Please see the Skills Training and Development section in Appendix C for additional information about STAD groups.
Magellan encourages best practices in group facilitation for providers rendering peer support in a group setting. The peer support supervisor as defined by the Magellan supervisory protocol should ensure that peer support group facilitators are equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively lead groups. The supervisor should also determine whether initial or ongoing guidance on group facilitation is needed and determine how they will assist and supervise the provider’s development in providing group services. Additional resources can be found below.
Peer support groups should incorporate trauma-informed principles. Group facilitators should strive to create a person-centered, recovery-oriented, culturally sensitive, and inclusive environment in which to conduct groups.
Peer support groups may support members in:
- Discussing their experiences living with mental health and/or substance use challenges and learning from one another.
- Developing a social support network and encouraging social interaction to develop confidence and assertiveness.
- Reducing isolation and increasing hopefulness by hearing personal recovery stories and interacting with others who have similar life experiences.
- Learning about themselves, discussing the direction they would like their lives to go, and determining steps for working toward their goals.
- Receiving feedback from other peers instead of just professionals.

Resources for facilitating peer support groups may include, but are not limited to:

Continuing Education for the Peer Workforce

Explore continuing education opportunities offered by the organizations listed below to enhance your skills and maintain certification.

IMPORTANT NOTE: please refer to the BPA Health continuing education page to review the information that must be included on certificates of completion in order for them to be eligible for peer support or family support continuing education hours. If you are a recovery coach, please visit the IBADCC continuing education page and contact the IBADCC if you have questions about recovery coach continuing education.

Please inquire with the organizations listed below if you have questions about their trainings or process for receiving a certificate of completion.

Empower Idaho offers free conferences for Idaho’s peer workforce. You can sign up for their newsletter to be notified about the next conference at https://www.empoweridaho.org/education/peer-support-conferences/.
Doors to Wellbeing offers a free monthly peer support webinar series. Their website also states you can view past webinars to receive a certificate of completion. You can learn more and see their contact information at https://copelandcenter.com/doors-wellbeing/peer-specialist-webinar-series.
The National Association of Peer Supporters holds webinars. Please note you may need to become a paid member to receive certificates of completion. You can see their offerings at:
- https://www.peersupportworks.org/events/category/peer-led-alternatives-training/
- https://www.peersupportworks.org/online-courses/
The Peer Support Services Technical Assistance Center (PeerTAC) offers free peer support webinars. You can see their calendar and sign up for their listserv at https://peertac.org/events.
The National Empowerment Centers offers periodic webinars. You can sign up for their email list to be notified about upcoming webinars at https://power2u.org/webinars.
The Addiction Technology Transfer Center offers free webinars, some of which are applicable to peer supporters and recovery coaches. You can see their calendar and sign up for their newsletter at https://attcnetwork.org/training-and-events-calendar.
The National Training & Technical Assistant Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health offers free monthly continuing education that is focused on family and youth peer support. You can see their offerings at https://nttacmentalhealth.org/upcoming-events.
The National Family Support Technical Assistance Center has several offerings, some of which focus on family peer support. You can learn more at https://www.nfstac.org/events.
If you are a certified recovery coach, please visit https://www.ibadcc.org/ceproviders to see their list of approved continuing education providers.

Psych Hub

Providers in the Idaho Behavioral Health Plan network can gain free access to Psych Hub for continuing education resources. While you’re welcome to sign up for Psych Hub, please note that many of the courses are geared toward clinicians. If you will be using Psych Hub, we recommend choosing courses relevant to your role, such as culturally responsive care, rather than clinical topics like assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

Please visit the training page to review information about accessing Psych Hub.

How to request Psych Hub access:

Email MagellanIdahoTraining@MagellanHealth.com with your name, your work email address, and the name of your employer. Please note personal email addresses cannot be used for access to Psych Hub.
The Magellan Idaho Training team will email you the link to sign up for Psych Hub at no cost.
Follow the link to sign up and refer to the following instructions:
- For the question ‘Are you using Psych Hub for continuing education credits?’, click yes.
- For CE Organization, select ASWB, NBCC, or APA.
  - We recognize that your peer support or recovery coach certifying body is not listed as an option. Selecting ASWB, NBCC, or APA will allow you to receive a certificate of completion with pertinent continuing education information.
- For NPI Number, enter N/A.
- For License Number and State, leave blank.
- When you complete a course, there will be two options for downloading a certificate of completion. Download the certificate of completion that shows the number of credits completed.

We encourage you to download each certificate of completion as soon as you receive it and save it to a personal file outside of Psych Hub. This will make it easy to access your certificates of completion when it’s time to renew your certification.

Recovery & Resiliency Training

Click here to take the free Recovery & Resiliency for Providers Training. This link allows you to register for Magellan’s Learning Management System and self-enroll in the Recovery & Resiliency for Providers Training. This training defines recovery and resiliency (R&R), offers strategies for implementing R&R principles, and highlights recovery-oriented language.

Recovery & Resiliency Language Guide

Our Recovery and Resiliency Language Guide is designed to help ensure that the words we use reflect the values, principles, and practices of recovery and resiliency. This guide promotes strengths-based, person-centered language that supports the journey to wellness.

Read the Recovery and Resiliency Language Guide

Recovery & Resiliency Principles

Mental health and substance use recovery is a holistic, person-centered process that honors the unique journeys of individuals and their families. The 10 Guiding Principles of Recovery as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) form the foundation of a recovery and resiliency-oriented approach.

Recovery emerges from hope – Recovery is fueled by the belief that a better life is possible.
Recovery is person-driven – Each individual leads their own path to recovery, making decisions and setting goals based on personal experiences and needs.
Recovery occurs via many pathways – There are multiple ways to achieve recovery, and each person’s journey is unique.
Recovery is holistic – Recovery involves the whole person, encompassing mind, body, spirit, and community.
Recovery is supported by peers and allies – Connections with others who have shared similar experiences play a crucial role in the recovery process.
Recovery is supported through relationships and social networks – Positive, supportive relationships are key to sustained recovery.
Recovery is culturally based and influenced – Culture plays an important role in shaping recovery experiences and pathways.
Recovery is supported by addressing trauma – Healing from trauma is an essential component of the recovery journey.
Recovery involves individual, family, and community strengths and responsibility – Strengthening connections and building on the resilience of individuals, families, and communities is central to recovery.
Recovery is based on respect – Mutual respect and acceptance are fundamental in fostering recovery.

To learn more about these principles and the resources we offer, visit the Magellan Center for Recovery and Resiliency.

Thank you for visiting the Idaho Peer Support Services page! We appreciate the work you do!

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