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Peer support involves an individual trained to use their lived experience (mental health challenges, substance use, incarceration, houselessness, etc.), skills, and knowledge to offer another help, encouragement, and understanding to navigate life's challenges. Peer Support Specialists provide non-clinical, strength-based support rooted in mutuality, respect, honesty, authenticity, and open-mindedness. Peer Support Specialists can help in areas of employment, coping skills, recovery options, wellness tools, money management, application assistance, and resource sharing.
Our peer support groups are gatherings where individuals with shared experiences, conditions, and/or challenges come together to create community, provide mutual support, encouragement, and shared insights. These groups are typically led by peer specialists who have gone through similar situations and offer a non-clinical and non-judgmental approach to help, wellness, and recovery.

Our creative wellness and empowerment experiences were created to, not only create community, but to help reduce isolation, stress and anxiety, improve mood, increase cognitive flexibility, foster community, improve emotional awareness, expand self-efficacy and enhance coping mechanisms. Activities such as painting, rug tufting, apparel and shoe embellishment design, lip gloss making, creating perfumed oils, and sewing, to name a few, help to increase self-esteem, reduce stress, reduce isolation, and learn new skills.

A highly adaptable, strengths-based approach to developing personalized wellness strategies. WRAP is grounded in self-determination and helps individuals plan for both everyday wellness and moments of distress.
The WRAP process supports you to identify the tools that keep you well and create action plans to put them into practice in your everyday life. All along the way, WRAP helps you incorporate key recovery concepts and wellness tools into your plans and your life. Working with a WRAP can help individuals to monitor uncomfortable and distressing feelings and behaviors and through planned responses, reduce, modify, or eliminate those behaviors and feelings. WRAP can be facilitated for individuals, families, youth, seniors, veterans, those dealing with addictions, and those that are justice impacted.
In Texas part of the certification process for any peer specialists is the completion of 250 hours of volunteer or paid work experience supervised by a credentialed Peer Specialist Supervisor. Supervision consists of providing feedback and guidance of your peer support work that may raise questions or concerns as you work in the field, as well as an opportunity to
reflect to see how your own biases and gaps in knowledge can impact the quality and direction of your work. The experience should have you question your tact in handling crisis situations, worldviews, and many other day -to-day situations that may occur.
Pink Love Houston is proud to be a leading provider of state-approved Peer Specialist Training in Texas. Our mission is to cultivate healing, empowerment, and professional growth by equipping individuals with lived experience in mental health, substance use, and trauma recovery to become certified Peer Support Specialists.
We offer comprehensive training programs that meet the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) requirements for: Mental Health Peer Specialist and Peer Specialist Supervisor.
Whether you're beginning your journey or stepping into a leadership role, our culturally responsive, trauma-informed training creates a safe and supportive space for learning. Participants gain practical tools, ethical guidance, and peer-led wisdom to serve others in behavioral health and community wellness settings.
At Pink Love Houston, we believe in the power of shared stories and lived experience to transform lives, reduce stigma, and build stronger, more inclusive systems of care.
Train with us to be the change our communities need.
APPLY BELOW.
Step 1: Meet Eligibility Requirements
- Must be 18 years or older
- Have lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery
- High school diploma or equivalent (GED)
- Willingness to share recovery experience to support others
Step 2: Complete Core Training (Financial aid may be available)
Attend the Texas Core Peer Specialist Training, which is a 3-day foundational training required before specializing as a Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS) or Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS). This training can be done virtually or in-person and costs $250.
APPLY FOR CORE TRAINING HERE: https://forms.gle/dXhmQhV1pLS42CwX8
Step 3: Choose a Specialization (Financial aid may be available)
- Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS): Focuses on supporting individuals with mental health challenges. Cost is $600. APPLY HERE: https://forms.gle/VvLFToxSUwDpTUBU9
- Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS): Focuses on supporting individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. Cost is $600. COMING SOON..........
Step 4: Complete Specialized Training
After the Core Training, complete the required specialized training program for your chosen track. Both MHPS and RSPS are 5 days trainings and can be done virtually or in-person.
Step 5: Apply for Certification
Submit an application, through Certemy, for initial certification (6 months) through the Texas Certification Board (TCB). This includes proof of training completion, FBI background check (around $55), and certification fee of $60.
Step 6: Complete Supervised Experience (Financial aid may be available)
Work under the supervision of a certified Peer Specialist Supervisor to complete 250 supervised peer-facing hours while meeting with them weekly. This step ensures competency in peer support delivery. The cost of supervision is $75 per person per hour.
Step 7: Get Full 2 Year Certification
Submit completed 250 hours and the supervisor’s recommendation letter to Texas Certification Board through Certemy. Wait up to 60 days for full certification approval. While continuing to meet with a Certified Peer Specialist Supervisor weekly. Once fully certified the new Certified Peer Specialist would move to monthly supervision.
To apply for the Peer Specialist Supervisor training, you must meet the following criteria:
The Texas Administrative Code: Minimum Qualifications for Supervisors (Tex. Admin. Code §354.3105) (a) A peer specialist supervisor must: • (1) be at least 18 years of age; • (2) be a: o (A) QCC;1 o (B) LPHA;2 o (C) QMHP-CS,3 with a QCC or LPHA supervising the QMHP-CS; OR
1§354.3003(15) QCC stands for Qualified Credentialed Counselor. A QCC is “a person licensed as one of the following and acting within the authorized scope of the person's license: (A) licensed professional counselor; (B) licensed clinical social worker; (C) licensed marriage and family therapist; (D) psychologist; (E) physician; (F) physician's assistant; (G) licensed chemical dependency counselor; (H) certified addictions registered nurse; or (I) advanced practice registered nurse licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing as a psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner.” 2§354.3003(6) LPHA stands for Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts. An LPHA is “a person licensed as one of following and acting within the authorized scope of the person's license: (A) physician; (B) licensed professional counselor; (C) licensed clinical social worker; (D) psychologist; (E) advanced practice registered nurse; (F) physician assistant; or (G) licensed marriage and family therapist.” 3§354.3003(16) QMHP-CS stands for Qualified Mental Health Professional-Community Services. A QMHP-CS “must demonstrate competency in the work to be performed and: (A) be a Registered Nurse; or (B) have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum number of hours that is equivalent to a major in psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, counseling, sociology, human growth and development, physician's assistant, gerontology, special education, educational psychology, early childhood education, or early childhood intervention. 4§354.3003(17) QPS stands for Qualified Peer Supervisor. A QPS “must: (A) be a certified peer specialist under this subchapter; and (B) have one of the following combinations: (i) a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) and at least four years of work experience as a peer specialist, up to two years of which may be substituted by work experience supervising others; or (ii) an associate's degree or higher from an accredited college or university and at least two years of work experience as a peer specialist.”
Step 1: Apply for PSS training
APPLY HERE: https://forms.gle/AurpNPJt23E9rTuH8
Step 2: Submit qualifying documents
You will need to upload/submit/email your qualifying documents to be permitted into the training. The current registration fee is $250 and can be submitted on our website. (Financial aid may be available)
Step 3: Complete the training
This is a 2-day training. The training is followed immediately by an online knowledge assessment which you must pass with a 70% or higher. After successful completion of the training, you will receive a certificate of completion to submit to Texas Certification Board.
Step 4: Apply for Certification
Submit an application, through Certemy, for the PSS certification from the Texas Certification Board (TCB). This includes proof of training completion, FBI background check (around $55), and certification fee of $60.
Step 5: Get Full 2 Year Certification
Once certified, a PSS must earn at least 20 CEUs, including 6 hours of peer specialist supervision and leadership training, every two years to maintain their certification.
Bastrop, Texas 78602, United States
512.549.0441 call/text info@pinklovehouston.org
Open today | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm |
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