“Live One, Do One, Teach One”: Representation in the Peer Workforce in Behavioral Health

The shortage of behavioral health professionals is a significant barrier for mental health services across the US, particularly in rural and remote communities. Developing the workforce with providers at all levels, including peer professionals, who more closely represent the communities they serve than current staffing is one method to improve the workforce. This study as the first of its kind to examine the representation of peer professionals in a statewide and sample speaks to the potential return in a representative peer workforce in under resourced and rural communities from workforce development programs. This study examined the 45 peer professionals throughout one state for a workforce development program for peers working with individuals and families with substance use and other behavioral health needs. Demographic information, information about geographic, economic and environmental disadvantages were paired with quantitative data about whether applicants had utilized services to meet their basic needs including food pantries, homeless services, or sold plasma. Qualitative data about lived experience and desire for training in behavioral health provided a picture of the peer professional workforce in one state. Peer professionals are more racially diverse than other parts of the peer workforce and over half accessed social welfare benefits including SNAP or had been homeless. A desire to help people with the same illnesses as they have, navigation to recovery, and loss of loved ones to Substance Use Disorders were common themes. Implications for practice and workforce development are discussed including the ways the peer professional workforce can be a critical part of the behavioral health workforce providing services and more closely representing the communities they serve.