Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS) Certification Training
Transform Your Mental Health Journey Into a Meaningful Career
The Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS) Certification Training is built for individuals in mental health recovery who want to turn their journey into professional expertise. This is the second required training for anyone seeking the Mental Health Peer Specialist certification in Texas.
- Complete your 40-hour MHPS certification training over 5 consecutive days
- Learn from certified facilitators with lived mental health recovery experience
- Build skills in advocacy, peer support, goal-setting, and recovery planning
- Strategies for building community, relationships, and mentoring others
- Experience in leading recovery-focused groups and peer support activities
- Preparation for a Medicaid-billable credential
- Approved by the Texas Workforce Commission / Vocational Rehabilitation
WHAT IS A MENTAL HEALTH PEER SPECIALIST?
A Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS) is a person with lived experience of mental health recovery who is trained to support others navigating their own mental health journey. MHPS professionals use their personal experience as a tool to inspire hope, reduce stigma, and walk alongside others toward recovery.
Mental Health Peer Specialists work in a variety of settings including community mental health centers, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and peer-run organizations. In Texas, MHPS certification is issued through the Texas Certification Board and requires completion of both the Core Training and this 40-hour supplemental training.
TRAINING OVERVIEW
Turn Your Lived Experience Into Professional Impact.
This 40-hour Mental Health Peer Specialist training prepares you with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to effectively provide peer support to individuals navigating mental health recovery. You’ll learn how to share your story purposefully, advocate for those you serve, and navigate the Texas certification process with confidence.
From ethics to advocacy, you’ll graduate with the skills and credentials Texas employers in behavioral health are actively seeking.
What You’ll Learn:
- Advocacy skills to support individuals in their mental health recovery journey
- Tools for sharing resources, building skills, and supporting goal-setting and recovery planning
- Strategies for building community, relationships, and mentoring others
- Experience in leading recovery-focused groups and peer support activities
- How to apply peer support principles and ethics in real-world situations
- How to share your lived experience purposefully without oversharing
WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR?
- Individuals in mental health recovery ready to turn their experience into a professional credential
- Anyone who has completed the Peer Specialist Core Training and received their completion letter
- Volunteers at mental health organizations looking to formalize their skills
- People seeking stable meaningful work in the behavioral health field
- Anyone called to help others through mental health challenges they have personally overcome
If you’re ready to transform your lived mental health experience into a certification that Texas employers recognize and trust, this is where your next chapter starts.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To enroll in the MHPS certification training, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have completed the Peer Specialist Core Training and received your completion letter
- Have lived experience with mental health recovery
- Have a High School Diploma or GED
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be willing to appropriately share your recovery story with those you serve
- Be actively engaged in your own self-directed recovery
- Be a Texas resident or spend at least 51% of your working time in Texas, in-person or remotely
CERTIFICATION STEPS
Getting your MHPS certification in Texas is straightforward and can typically be completed within a few weeks
1. Complete the Peer Specialist Core Training — You must have completed the 19.5-hour Core Training and received your completion letter before enrolling in MHPS
2. Complete the 5-Day MHPS Training — Attend our virtual Mental Health Peer Specialist training and complete all assignments and exercises
3. Receive Your Certificate of Completion — After successfully completing the training you will receive your official MHPS certificate
4. Submit Your State Application — Apply through Certemy (the Texas Certification Board’s online platform). Create your account, complete all required steps including a federal background check, and wait for TCB approval
Important Note to Participants
Texas Workforce Commission / Vocational Rehabilitation participants must follow a separate approval process. Pricing and enrollment procedures may differ for TWC-funded participants. Please contact us for additional information.
For questions or registration assistance: (214) 531-7197 (text message is ok)
Please note: Upon completion of this training, participants who wish to obtain their state certification through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will be subject to a background check as required by state law (1 TAC §354.3201). Regalado Recovery & Self-Discovery, Inc. does not conduct background checks and has no involvement in the state’s certification or background check process.
Training Format
Zoom Virtual Training
Time 8:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m
Every Training Day
Investment
$555.00
