With a $4.4 million grant from the state of New York Office of Mental Health, Rutgers School of Health Professions (SHP) and New York University (NYU) have partnered to widen access to peer support services by providing training, technical assistance and consultation to mental health provider organizations in New York.

The new Peer Support Services Technical Assistance Center (PeerTAC) was launched in January and will have the capacity to reach approximately 400 clinics interested in delivering peer support services to children, families, adults and older adults.

Peer support specialists use their lived experiences to help others with mental health conditions, substance use disorders and trauma.

“Peer support is a vital and important part of behavioral health services,” said Amy Spagnolo, Ph.D., associate professor in psychiatric rehabilitation and counseling and project director at SHP. “Peer support specialists share their own experiences of having a behavioral health condition and their recovery journeys to engage people and support them in unique ways. They can share their own narrative to inspire hope and optimism in others.”

Rutgers SHP brings significant organizational experience to PeerTAC.

In 2012, Rutgers SHP’s Department of Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions, under the direction of professor and chairman Dr. Kenneth Gill, developed the Academy of Peer Services which provides online training, testing and tracking for the certification of peer support specialists in New York. The academy has successfully trained over 3,000 peer support providers for state certification.

The PeerTAC initiative expands the work of the academy by training and supporting provider organizations to implement peer support services or contract with peer support organizations.

“PeerTAC provides an array of learning opportunities to organizational leaders and service providers who want to integrate peer specialists into settings where their lived experience can support people with similar mental health challenges,” said Rita Cronise, project coordinator.

PeerTAC held its kick-off webinar in January, which was attended by more than 300 mental health providers across New York state. The webinar is now viewable on the PeerTac website.

PeerTAC is jointly led by SHP and the NYU McSilver Institute, which will specifically be focused on youth and family peer support roles and training.