Tips for Certification and Career Exploration

Training is one piece of the puzzle. The other pieces are certification,
real-world experience, and finding roles where your lived experience is valued
instead of hidden. This isn’t a full career counseling session, but it will
give you some anchors.

Know Your State’s Requirements

Each state and credential has its own rules: training hours, supervision, work
experience, continuing education, and more. Part of your work in this program
is to understand what applies to you.

• Find the official page for your state’s certification board or authority.
• Download or bookmark their requirements for Peer Specialist / CHW.
• Note how this training fits into those requirements (core training, CE,
  etc.).

Track Your Experience and Hours

Don’t wait until the end to document what you’ve done. Future-you will thank
you.

• Keep a simple log of roles (paid or volunteer roles providing peer support or community health work), organizations, dates, and duties.
• Save copies of certificates and completion emails in one folder.
• Write a short bullet list of what you learned or practiced in each role.

Think Beyond “Just a Job”

Peer support and community health work can look like:

• Peer specialist roles in treatment centers or hospitals.
• CHW roles in clinics, outreach programs, or non-profits.
• Recovery coaching, harm reduction outreach, or re-entry support.
• Program coordination, training, or supervision as you grow.

As you move through this training, pay attention to what lights you up: groups vs. 1:1, crisis vs. long-term support, systems work vs. direct service. That’s your compass for next steps.

Want help mapping out your next steps? We offer 1-on-1 coaching sessions where we can share tools for organizing your certification progress, support your job search, and assist with employment planning.

 
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