Staying in My Lane: Situated Motives and Experiences of Certified Peer Support Specialists as Paraprofessionals

• In Event: 598 - Section on Sociology of Mental Health Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 15. Treatment Settings and Utilization

Abstract

In the U.S. and elsewhere, government sponsored policies and programs have increasingly moved toward involving mental health consumers in a variety of ways, including as contributors to policy, research, and service delivery programs. The current study builds upon this body of research on consumer involvement in mental health service delivery, and analyzes experiences of Certified Peer Support Specialists (CPSSs) who are adult mental health consumers in recovery who undergo training and certification before being hired to work alongside traditional mental health professionals to provide services to fellow consumers. Since Medicaid began offering reimbursement to qualified states in 2001, the number of employed CPSSs has increased. Despite the increased involvement of mental health consumers as CPSSs, very little research has been conducted on the experiences of CPSSs.

In the current study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 certified Peer Support Specialists in a large city in the mid-south of the United States. This manuscript reports on the situated motives (including therapeutic concordance; individual empowerment; and civic participation) participants gave for being employed as a CPSS. These motives are analyzed alongside structural and interpersonal barriers, including ambiguity related to defining the role of the CPSS as a paraprofessional, which limits their fuller integration within their employment setting. Implications for research, policy and practice are discussed.

Author

• Deborah A. Potter, University of Louisville