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State division outlines standardized peer certification, aims to launch online curriculum July 2025 and offer 1,500 scholarships
Summary
The Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services announced plans for a statewide standardized peer-support curriculum (online July 2025; in-person within six months; exam by Jan. 2026), peer supervisor training and at least 1,500 scholarships hosted by UNC BHS.
Kelly Crosby, director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, announced a statewide effort to standardize peer-support training and expand paid peer roles in the public system.
"Peers provide life changing support," Crosby said, explaining the division’s goal to get more certified peers into the workforce and to make certification meaningful for employment. Crosby also noted the division is using mental health block grant dollars to support more peer centers.
Ann Marie Webb, who leads the peer-support specialist effort, described a multi-part plan that includes an online standardized curriculum scheduled to launch in July 2025, an in-person portion to be completed within six months of the online course, and a proctored exam targeted for January 2026. "We are hoping to launch the online portion of the standardized curriculum on July 2025," Webb said.
Webb said a committee selected 16 certified peer support specialists from across the state to help develop the curriculum, and she described specialty tracks for older adults (COPES), youth, family peers, IDD and TBI populations, crisis and forensic settings, and emergency departments. She also said UNC BHS has begun accepting scholarship applications for free certification training and that the program expects to offer at least 1,500 scholarships.
The division plans additional workforce supports, Webb said, including peer supervisor training for managers who oversee peers, community-college workforce-preparation classes (resume building and employment skills), and a peer-to-peer mentoring app to address vicarious trauma and provide statewide connection among peers.
The division will publish more details and application links on UNC BHS and the division’s community engagement pages; Crosby asked attendees to sign up for advisory groups and said recorded slides will be posted after the webinar.
