In 2015, the University of Maryland Training Center, in partnership with the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration, began providing training specifically dedicated to the needs of a new behavioral health workforce, Peer Recovery Specialists. Peer Recovery Specialists are individuals who use their own lived experience to assist others in their recovery process.

In Maryland, the Peer Recovery Specialist certification, (CPRS), is overseen by the Maryland Addiction and Behavioral-health Professionals Certification Board, (MABPCB).  One of the requirements for certification is an education component.  This education component consists of 46 hours of peer specific training within the domains of Advocacy, Ethical Considerations, Mentoring and Education, and Wellness and Recovery. After initial CPRS Certification, recertification is required every two years, with an education requirement of 20 hours within the domains, 6 hours being one specific Ethics training.

We provide this training at no cost to participants to meet the training requirements to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in Maryland.  We also provide training to maintain their CPRS certification and to allow them to continue to grow professionally. Training ranges from two major conferences a year as well as variety of one to five days of training opportunities consisting of smaller classes averaging 20-25 participants per class. These trainings focus on a variety of subject areas as Advocacy, Mentoring and Education, Wellness and Recovery, and Ethics.  The Training Center also provides additional training opportunities such as Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Informed Care, to enhance the peer recovery specialists’ skill set.  Other training opportunities include how to be an effective resource broker, appropriate goal setting, and how to work with other peers in recovery in various settings and how to serve unique populations to effect change for individuals and the communities in which they live.

If you have questions concerning training provided by the University of Maryland Training Center for peer recovery specialists.

All notifications of upcoming Maryland Training Center’s Peer Recovery Training are disseminated through the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration’s Peer Recovery ListServ administrated by Adelaide Weber of the Consumer Affairs unit. To receive notifications of the University of Maryland’s Peer Recovery training opportunities and other peer-related training.

Please contact Adelaide Weber at adelaide.weber@maryland.gov to request to become a member of the Peer Recovery Listserv. 

If you want to learn more about how to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in Maryland, please contact the Maryland Addiction and Behavioral-Health Professionals Certification Board at their website: https://www.mabpcb.com/