A Peer Professional is trained to incorporate their unique personal recovery experiences in mental health and substance abuse services to support the recoveries of others.


Peer Professionals earn a credential, which means they have the knowledge and skills that meet minimum acceptable standards of the Recovery Support profession, regardless of having an academic degree, and that they are qualified to provide professional peer support services for persons in recovery from mental health and/or substance use challenges.

Peer Professionals are individuals who have triumphed in their own recovery and are trained to provide assistance to others facing similar challenges. By fostering shared understanding, respect, and mutual empowerment, they support individuals to actively participate in and maintain their recovery journey. These services effectively broaden the impact of treatment beyond clinical settings, reaching into the daily lives of those seeking lasting recovery.

What is a Peer Professional?

What Does a Peer Specialist Do?

Check out this video from Psych Hub that helps explain what a Peer Specialist does!

Sobriety is not the opposite of addiction: The peer specialist story
Melissa Dittberner

Peer Support and Recovery. A peer specialist is a person with lived experiences who has the expertise to help others navigate through the process of recovery based on training and their experiences. Peer support is a best practice for recovery care but is not being utilized in the ways it could be because of the stigma surrounding addiction, mental health, and recovery. As a person in long-term recovery, I have dedicated my efforts to be a voice for those who feel they cannot use theirs because they are struggling with a disease of the brain that we stigmatize so horribly as a society. I am trying hard to help people learn to help themselves, especially in the wake of the addiction crisis. Dr. Mo, (Melissa Dittberner), PhD, CPS, PS, LMT, is a lecturer in the Addiction Counseling and Prevention department at the University of South Dakota. She has a Ph.D. in Counseling and Psychology in Education, a master’s in Addiction Studies, and a bachelor’s in Health Sciences. Dr. Mo is also a public speaker, prevention specialist, and peer support. She is the president of Straight Up Care, a telehealth platform for peer supports. Dr. Mo is a co-author of the book Shift Mindset. She does research on college students’ substance use, pedagogy, addiction, trauma, body brokering, tattoos and healing and harm reduction. Dr. Mo is a person in long-term recovery and her mission is to help people learn to help themselves.

Read on to learn more about

Peer Support and Peer Professionals!