Peer support provision and job satisfaction among certified peer specialists

ABSTRACT

Peer support services are an important resource for mental health programs. Despite the growth of peer support services in the United States, there is little knowledge on the characteristics of peer support providers and their experiences. In this study, we surveyed a group of certified peer specialists about service provision, job satisfaction, sociodemographics, and job-related characteristics. Results suggest racial/ethnic differences in peer support service provision and job satisfaction. This work offers substantive insight into the types of services certified peer specialists offer, the satisfaction experienced on the job, and group differences where these factors diverge.

KEYWORDS:

• Peer support
• mental health
• service provision
• job satisfaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was support by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities under University of Georgia internal grant number AWD00009451.