Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Requirements for PRS certification:

In addition to the training or work experience noted below, the following is required for a complete and compliant PRS certification application:

Have a high school diploma or GED (there is no waiver or exception to this requirement)
Complete a certification application in eLicense.
Complete 11 online eBased Academy Courses.
Pass the online Ohio Peer Recovery Supporter Certification Exam with a score of 70% or higher.
Complete a Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) background check and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal records check within one year of application submission.
Have no record of a disqualifying offense.

We do NOT offer the 40 credit course that is required for initial certification.

Your renewal CE credits must include the below 9 topic areas and required hours for each topic area. Your remaining CE hours may be in any topic that is relevant to human services or Peer Support, or that fall into one of the 9 required topics below. The CE credits/trainings do not have to include “Peer Support” in the title.

Peer supporter certification renewal will include submission of a complete and compliant application, including the following:

(a) Documentation of thirty hours of continuing education credits, which will include the following competencies and minimum hours;

(i) Ethics (may include HIPAA, confidentiality) – three hours;

(ii) Boundaries – three hours;

(iii) Diversity and inclusion/cultural sensitivity – two hours;

(iv) System navigation and care coordination – one hour;

(v) Trauma informed care – two hours;

(vi) Human trafficking – one hour;

(vii) Behavioral health knowledge (may include recovery and resiliency) – one hour;

(viii) Basic principles related to health and wellness – one hour; and,

(ix) Principles of coaching as applied to the delivery of peer services – two hours.

Certified peer supporters will attest to having read and understood the code of ethics at initial certification and every certification renewal thereafter.

For those certified peer supporters providing supervision, documentation of three hours of supervisor training.

Either an attestation that the applicant has not been convicted of any new felony offenses, or a new background check pursuant to paragraph (L) of the rule.