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Thousands of peer workers are trained, certified, and employed throughout the United States. Although the importance of education in behavioral health career development is well documented, almost no current literature is available on academic peer career development. This article reports on peer and nonpeer educational and employment outcomes following completion of a credit-bearing community college mental health certificate program. Implications and recommendations for peer workforce development are identified. Peer and nonpeer certificate program graduates' employment and educational outcomes were obtained in 1997, 2001, and 2004-06 through surveys and interviews. Peer and nonpeer graduates obtained part-time and full-time employment in a variety of behavioral health and human services positions at a range of salaries. A considerable proportion of all graduates subsequently obtained higher degrees. Peer graduates also reported positive impact on self-esteem. Credit-bearing educational opportunities can assist in peer employment and career development. As increasing numbers of certified peer workers are employed in health and behavioral health settings, higher education opportunities can be an important career development strategy. Coordinated national efforts are recommended to link certification and academic programs. Collaboration among peer training programs, behavioral health providers, and educational institutions is suggested to infuse curricula with recovery-oriented content.

Mental health certified peer specialists (CPSs) have lived experience of mental health conditions and provide peer support services. Certification began in 2001 (1); associated Medicaid reimbursement was authorized in 2007 (2). By 2016, 44 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offered peer specialist training and certification with varying curricula and required training hours (1).In 2016, in collaboration with peer and university partners, two coinvestigators and I undertook an online survey of CPS-certifying entities in all states, DC, and the VA. Survey questions included the year certification began and the number of CPSs certified since that year.Certification was initiated between 2001 and 2007 in 15 states and between 2008 and 2015 in 25 states, DC, and the VA (Figure 1). By 2016, four states were developing a certification structure and three were in the planning stage; three states did not offer certification. Nationwide, 25,317 CPSs were certified. The highest state CPS rates per 100,000 population and year certification began were in Arizona, 36.4 (2012);