Research has indicated that when parents with lived experiences are
used to provide health-related support to other parents, the parents’ mental health and
functioning and access to resources improve.
Peer Providers
Peer-Provided Services and Medicaid Billing at the Local Mental Health Authorities in Texas
Consumer Operated Service Provider Institute
Peer Specialist Learning Community
Texas Peer Specialist Training and Certification Evaluation
Peer Specialist Employment Satisfaction and Outcomes
In 2010, to support and expand Texas’s peer workforce, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
authorized Via Hope to develop and implement a standardized peer specialist training and certification (PSTC)
program. The PSTC program enhances the peer role, providing the requisite skills necessary for peer specialists
to work in the mental health system.