Peer Recovery & Support Specialist (PRSS) Certification

Initial Core PRSS Training
The below courses are available and will meet the initial 46 hour training requirement for certification

  • Online, Self-Paced: Peer Support Specialist 101
    Peer support is a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility and mutual agreement of what is helpful. Individuals who have common life experiences with the people they are serving deliver peer support services. By sharing their experiences, peers bring hope to people in recovery and promote a sense of belonging within the community. The services often provided by peers are multi-faceted and include, but are not limited to: individual advocacy, education, development of natural supports, support of work or other meaningful activity of the individual’s choosing, crisis management support, and specific skills training. This 46-hour self-paced course is designed provide a foundation for providing peer support services. Please Note: completion of this course does not mean you are certified as a Peer Recovery and Support Specialist (PRSS) in the state of Nevada. This course is designed to meet the educational requirements in order to apply to become a certified PRSS through the Nevada Behavioral Health Association (NBHA), an affiliate member board of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC).

  • Undergraduate Certificate for Peer Support Specialist in Behavioral Health
    The 12-credit Peer Support Specialist (PSS) Certificate is specifically designed for those with “lived experience” who consider themselves in recovery from a substance use or mental health disorder. Peer support includes relationship building in order to provide support, advocacy, wellness, and community engagement services to individuals. Program participants complete four university courses and spend 120 hours in the field where knowledge is put into practice within a behavioral health agency. This certificate provides students an opportunity to experience the professional side of the field and may be utilized as a stepping-stone for further career advancement.In order to participate in this certificate option, individuals will be required to qualify as a UNR student, including applying and being accepted to UNR, providing required immunizations, activating and using UNR accounts, and submitting in-state residency documentation to qualify for in-state tuition. Please note that currently CAS 257 and CAS 457 are only offered in-person at the UNR campus and may only be offered once per academic year.

Foundations for Recovery PRSS Training