We believe in the transformative power of peer support.

Peer support is emotional and practical support between two people who share a common experience, such as a mental health challenge or illness. A Peer Supporter has lived through that similar experience, and is trained to support others.
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About Peer Support Canada 

Throughout its existence, Peer Support Canada, and the community surrounding it, have shared a resounding sense of hope, and the belief in the transformative power of peer support. The organization serves as the national voice for peer support across the land now known as Canada. After substantial cross-country consultation, in 2013 Peer Support Canada established a framework involving standards of practice, core values and principles to guide peer support workers and peer support programs. Today, the organization continues to strive towards the mission of increasing the recognition, growth, and accessibility of peer support within the mental health and substance use health spaces.

While Peer Support Canada currently exists as a program of the Canadian Mental Health Association, National, in 2021, CMHA National and PSC made the decision to redraw our partnership. We are prioritizing the re-acquisition of our own independent charitable registration status so we can increase access to funding opportunities and resources to support the expansion of our service offerings. CMHA National continues to provide a home for PSC until we can establish ourselves as an independent organization. 

PSC continues to lean into its strengths that include our internal knowledge, experience and expertise in the peer support field, our team of long-standing dedicated volunteers, our lived and living experience leadership and our strong relationships within the peer support community across Canada. 

For more information about PSC and our vision for future service delivery, please review our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.

Certification

Peer Support Canada offers certification for Peer Supporters and Family Peer Supporters. Peer Support Certification is a confirmation of one’s knowledge, skills, and experience as a peer supporter. Certification verifies one’s alignment with the nationally endorsed Standards of Practice and is recognized across Canada.

The Standards of Practice for mental health peer supporters were developed in consultation with peer supporters from across the country and endorsed by peer leaders representing interests nationwide. The national Standards of Practice consist of the knowledge, competencies, experience, and code of conduct requirements to effectively provide peer support services with due care and skill in a variety of settings.

For a complete guide to the certification program, please review our Certification Handbook.

Peer Support Canada offers the following:

  • Peer Supporter Certification
  • Family Peer Supporter Certification

In 2023, the PSC certification program underwent a formal review and update. The updated certification program involves an application, a written assessment, a verbal assessment, reference checks, and a self-assessment. The updated process usually takes between 2 and 3 months. For a complete guide to the certification program, please review our Certification Handbook. 

You must review the following FAQ Document and create a PSC Participant Profile ahead of applying for certification.

I have read the FAQ document and am interested in applying for certification

Canadian Mental Health Association

500-250 Dundas Street West,
Toronto, ON M5T 2Z5

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Peer Support Canada recognizes that our offices are located on the lands of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the treaty territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. As a national organization, we recognize the colonial histories of stolen land, forced removal, and genocide that Indigenous Peoples have faced across Turtle Island, and the impacts that these histories have on present day. We recognize that this acknowledgement is only one small step and are committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty and ongoing decolonization.

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