💛 What Is a Peer Support Specialist?

A Peer Supporter is a trained young adult who uses their lived experience with mental health, trauma, or recovery to support teens and young people. You don’t need a perfect past — just a heart for helping and a willingness to grow. Across Ohio, young adults are turning their stories into powerful support for others. If you’ve walked through hard things and want to help someone feel less alone, becoming a Peer Supporter may be the perfect path — a way to turn your experience into hope for someone else.

You will learn how to:

• Listen without judgment

• Build trust and connection

• Support youth through tough moments

• Model hope, healing, and resilience

• Use your story safely and professionally

• Connect youth to resources and crisis supports

Peer Supporters don’t “fix” people — they walk alongside them.

🧠 Who Can Become a Youth Peer Supporter?

You may be a great fit if you are:

• 18–30 years old

• Have lived experience with mental health, trauma, or recovery

• Want to help teens and young adults feel seen and supported

• Ready to learn professional boundaries and ethics

• Able to complete training and show up consistently

You don’t need a college degree.
You don’t need a perfect past.
You just need a heart for helping and a willingness to grow.

🎓 How to Get Certified in Ohio

Here’s the exact pathway to becoming a Certified Youth Peer Supporter:

1️⃣ Complete the 16‑Hour Online Training

This training introduces the foundations of peer support, ethics, boundaries, and trauma‑informed care.

2️⃣ Attend the 40‑Hour Youth Peer Support Training (NAMI Ohio)

This is a free, state‑approved training for young adults ages 18–30.
You’ll learn:

• Crisis response

• Trauma‑informed support

• Cultural humility

• Youth development

• Professional communication

• How to use your story safely

3️⃣ Submit Your Application & Background Checks

OhioMHAS reviews your materials and issues your official certification.

4️⃣ Start Supporting Youth in Schools, Churches, and Community Programs

Certified Peer Supporters are needed everywhere — especially in youth spaces.

🌱 Why Young Adults Make Incredible Peer Supporters

Young adults bring something powerful to the table:

• Relatability — teens open up more to someone close to their age

• Fresh perspective — you understand today’s challenges

• Authenticity — your story matters

• Hope — you show that healing is possible

Your lived experience becomes a tool for connection, not something to hide.

💼 Where Peer Supporters Work

Youth Peer Supporters are needed in:

• Schools

• After‑school programs

• Youth ministries

• Community centers

• Nonprofits

• Behavioral health agencies

• Teen drop‑in spaces

• Mentorship programs

Some roles are volunteer. Many are paid.

🔗 Ready to Get Started?

If you’re interested in becoming a Youth Peer Supporter, you can begin with the 16‑hour online training and then apply for the 40‑hour NAMI Ohio training.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.
You have to take the first step.