Peer Support Services

Certified Peer Support Specialists (CPSS) are critical in the Idaho mental health service. These trained support specialists work in the behavioral health system, and also have experienced a mental illness and recovery. They are well-positioned to support others who are seeking recovery. 

CPSS Peers offer hope and encouragement by sharing their experiences and knowledge, while addressing the needs of the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. They work to create opportunities for recovering peers to live satisfying and meaningful lives. 

Life Counseling Center serves by:

• Encouraging the participant's self-determination, hope, insight, and the development of new skills

• Preparing for healthcare visits and asking questions

• Identifying and setting health-related goals

• Planning specific action steps to achieve goals

• Encouraging exercise and good nutrition

• Assisting in daily management tasks

• Assisting in problem-solving

• Providing social and emotional support and feedback

• Building community support (accessing community services)

  The CPSS helps members increase self-engagement with four important elements:

  • Support

  • Hope

  • Opportunity

  • Tools

Using self-care tools and strategies, CPSS help members in the following domains:

•Increased self-awareness of strengths
•Increase self-care planning and implementation skills
•Self-management of negative self-talk
•Increased self-confidence
•Ability to share their story
•Increased hope
•Increased sense of empowerment and self-responsibility

Certified Peer Support Specialists provide hope for individuals, families, and communities recovering from mental illness by offering connections to a community of peers, encouragement and understanding, information regarding resources, and support through recovery. Supports include interpersonal relations, symptom management, relapse prevention, a wellness recovery action plan, and community engagement.

Life Counseling Center serves by:

• Encouraging the participant’s self-determination, hope, insight, and the development of new skills

• Assisting the client with setting recovery goals and developing a recovery action plan

• Helping to resolve problems and address barriers related to recovery

• Connecting client with professional and non-professional recovery resources in the community and helping members navigate the service system to access resources independently

• Helping client to reduce isolation and build a community that supports recovery