Peer Support Specialist Curriculum Approval Process

​​NOTICE!!! 

Invitation to Help Shape Kentucky's Peer Support Training Curriculum​
​

Dear Partners and Colleagues,

The Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) is inviting individuals with experience and expertise in peer support services to participate in an upcoming focus group to help strengthen Kentucky's Certified Peer Support Specialist training curriculum.

DBHDID oversees credentialing for Kentucky's Adult, Family, and Youth Certified Peer Support Specialists. As part of our ongoing work to update Kentucky's peer support regulations and align training expectations with national peer support standards, our team has been reviewing and strengthening the curriculum guidelines used for peer support specialist training. A key goal of this work is to ensure that future training provides a strong foundation for supporting individuals with both mental health and substance use disorder needs. We are also developing a new six-hour training curriculum for professionals who supervise peer support specialists.

​​We need your perspective.

Before these curriculum guidelines are finalized, we want to hear from the people who know this work best. We are forming focus groups that include a broad range of stakeholders, including:

  • Certified Peer Support Specialists;

  • Peer support supervisors; and

  • Training developers and facilitators

It is important that we hear from both those who develop and deliver peer support training and those who receive the training and put it into practice every day. Your experience can help us identify what works, what may be missing, and what future peer support specialists and supervisors need to be successful.

What does participation involve?

Focus group members will be asked to participate in a three-hour virtual session during one of the following times:

  • Monday, September 21, 2026: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. or 1:00–4:00 p.m.

  • Monday, September 28, 2026: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. or 1:00–4:00 p.m.

The session will include a large group discussion as well as smaller breakout groups focused on the Adult, Family, Youth, and Supervisor curriculum content. Participants will have opportunities to provide feedback through discussion and brief surveys or questionnaires. Because of the interactive nature of the focus groups, we ask that participants commit to the full three-hour session and participate from a setting that allows them to be fully engaged with minimal interruptions or distractions.

​Interested in participating?

Please complete this brief Peer Support Curriculum Focus Group Interest Survey no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, August 24, 2026. 

The survey will ask for basic contact and organizational information, your connection to peer support services, and which of the available sessions you would be able to attend. Additional information will be provided to individuals selected to participate.

Individuals who are participating on their own time are eligible for a reimbursement of $25 per hour. Individuals who are participating in the focus group as part of their regular job duties and are being compensated by their employer for their work time are not eligible to receive the reimbursement.

We recognize the tremendous expertise that exists across Kentucky's peer support community. Your continued work helps strengthen peer support services throughout the Commonwealth, and we want that experience represented as we consider the future of peer support training.

Thank you for your partnership and for considering this opportunity to help shape this important work. If you have any questions about the focus group, please contact Certified Peer Support​.​​


​​Becoming an Approved Peer Support Specialist Training Provider

​Becoming an approved Peer Support Specialist (PSS) training provider authorizes entities to teach the required training that allows individuals to be certified Peer Support Specialists in Kentucky.

The following curricula are available for approval by the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID), as established in the Kentucky Administrative Regulations:

  • Adult Peer Support Specialist (APSS)
  • Family Peer Support Specialist (FPSS)
  • Youth Peer Support Specialist (YPSS)
  • Kentucky Family Leadership Academy (KFLA)

    • The Kentucky Administrative Regulations (KAR) specifically speak to the elements of a "training curriculum" and the training requirements (testing of the trainee and evaluation of the trainers), and provide the curriculum applicant with an understanding of the requirements for peer support specialists—both eligibility and training. These regulations can be found in the Related Links box on the right side of the page.

    DBHDID requires the use of specific documents to ensure a complete submission of all necessary materials. This will allow DBHDID staff to review the curricula in their entirety and to make an approval decision or request supplementary materials in an efficient manner, within the period specified in the regulations. Curriculum submission requirements are listed below.

    Submission Requirements for Adult Peer Support Specialist 30-Hour Curriculum

    1. Review regulation 908 KAR 2:220 in Related Links.
    2. Complete the APSS Single Curriculum Submission Summary PDF​. This document contains identifying information about the applicant who is applying for curriculum approval.
    3. Complete the APSS 30-Hour Curriculum Rubric PDF. This rubric identifies the required APSS core components and expectations for curriculum development. Please note that the curriculum cannot be reviewed if the rubric's yellow section is incomplete; the submitter's information will be returned, and resubmission requested.
    4. Submit an electronic version of the curriculum, saved as a Word, PowerPoint, and/or PDF file using a USB flash drive. These documents must be clearly labeled with entities/submission name.
    5. Include an examination and an answer key in your curriculum submission
    6. Include an evaluation form of the training.

    Submission Requirements for Family Peer Support Specialist 30-Hour Curriculum

    1. Review regulation 908 KAR 2:230 in Related Links.
    2. Complete the FPSS Single Curriculum Submission Summary PDF. This document contains identifying information about the applicant who is applying for curriculum approval.
    3. Complete the FPSS 30-Hour Curriculum Rubric PDF. This rubric identifies the required FPSS core components and expectations for curriculum development. Please note that the curriculum cannot be reviewed if the rubric's yellow section is incomplete; the submitter's information will be returned, and resubmission requested.
    4. Submit an electronic version of the curriculum, saved as a Word, PowerPoint, and/or PDF file using a USB flash drive. These documents must be clearly labeled with entities/submission name.
    5. Include an examination and an answer key in your curriculum submission
    6. Include an evaluation form of the training.

    Submission Requirements for Youth Peer Support Specialist 30-Hour Curriculum

    1. Review regulation 908 KAR 2:240 in Related Links.
    2. Complete the YPSS Single Curriculum Submission Summary PDF. This document contains identifying information about the applicant who is applying for curriculum approval.
    3. Complete the YPSS 30-Hour Curriculum Rubric PDF. This rubric identifies the required YPSS core components and expectations for curriculum development. Please note that the curriculum cannot be reviewed if the rubric's yellow section is incomplete; the submitter's information will be returned, and resubmission requested.
    4. Submit an electronic version of the curriculum, saved as a Word, PowerPoint, and/or PDF file using a USB flash drive. These documents must be clearly labeled with entities/submission name.
    5. Include an examination and an answer key in your curriculum submission.
    6. Include an evaluation form of the training.

    Submission Requirements for Kentucky Family Leadership Academy Peer Support Specialist 15-Hour Curriculum

    1. Review regulations 908 KAR 2:230 and 908 KAR 2:240 in Related Links.
    2. Complete the KFLA Single Curriculum Submission Summary PDF. This document contains identifying information about the applicant who is applying for curriculum approval.
    3. Complete the KFLA 15-Hour Curriculum Rubric PDF. This rubric identifies the required KFLA core components and expectations for curriculum development. Please note that the curriculum cannot be reviewed if the rubric's yellow section is incomplete; the submitter's information will be returned, and resubmission requested.
    4. Submit an electronic version of the curriculum, saved as a Word, PowerPoint, and/or PDF file using a USB flash drive. These documents must be clearly labeled with entities/submission name.
    5. Include an examination and an answer key in your curriculum submission
    6. Include an evaluation form of the training.

    For sample resources to assist with curriculum development, please email Laura Cunningham. 

    ​Where to Submit Complete Curriculum and Supporting Documentation

    Submit this information to:

    Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
    Division of Program Integrity
    Program Support Branch
    275 E. Main Street 4CD
    Frankfort, KY 40621

    Curriculum Review and Trainer Requirements

    After a curriculum is received, it will be reviewed within 20 business days. Communication on the status of the submitted curriculum will be sent to the contact person listed on the "Single Curriculum Submission Summary."

    ll training staff listed on the Single Curriculum Submission Summary must hold a current Peer Support Specialist certification in the state of Kentucky and be up-to-date on CE requirements in the DBHDID TRIS database. Any trainers found to be noncompliant will have 30 calendar days from curriculum receipt to rectify any certification issues. After 30 days, DBHDID will consider the curriculum incomplete and a denial letter will be issued.

    Approved Curriculum Guidelines

    Once the curriculum is approved, the provider will establish and maintain a TRIS account by entering trainee information and uploading documentation directly into the system. Correspondence concerning the submission of this information will be sent via mail or email.

    After the curriculum is approved, if modifications occur, please notify the department using the BHDID Contact Form. 

    Questions About the Process?

    Please contact us using the BHDID Contact Form.  


    Related Links

    Contact Information

    144