Behavioral Health
CHW & Peer Support
Understand how the CHW role and the Peer Support Specialist role overlap, differ and work together.
What CHWs actually do here
CHWs and Peer Support Specialists are distinct workforce roles. Both build trust from community connection, but Peer Support is grounded in lived experience of mental health or substance use recovery and, in California, has its own Medi-Cal certification pathway.
Where this work happens
- Behavioral health agencies
- Health plans and ECM teams
- Crisis and recovery programs
- Community-based organizations
Job titles to look for
- Community Health Worker
- Peer Support Specialist
- Recovery Navigator
- Behavioral Health Outreach Worker
Skills that matter in this pathway
- Trust and rapport
- Trauma-informed engagement
- Boundaries and disclosure
- Resource navigation
- Documentation
Community Health Worker or Peer Support Specialist?
Two related roles that people mix up. Here's how they overlap, how they differ, and how they work together.
Community Health Worker
- Frontline public health worker with close community ties
- Health education, outreach, navigation and care coordination
- Works across physical, behavioral and social needs
- Medi-Cal CHW Benefit pathway through DHCS
Peer Support Specialist
- Role grounded in lived experience of recovery
- Shares experience intentionally to support another person's recovery
- Focused on mental health and substance use services
- California Medi-Cal certification pathway with its own requirements
Where they overlap
- Trust built from shared community or lived experience
- Engagement of people other services struggle to reach
- Resource navigation and follow-through
- Reducing stigma and advocating with systems
Where they differ
- Peer Support requires lived experience; the CHW role does not
- Peer Support certification is governed by a separate California pathway
- CHW scope spans chronic disease, housing, maternal health and more
- Billing and supervision requirements differ between the two roles
How they collaborate
- A CHW may handle benefits, housing and appointment navigation while a peer supports recovery goals
- Both may sit on the same ECM or behavioral health team
- Warm handoffs between the roles keep people connected
Does a credential matter here?
- Helps: You have lived experience you want to use intentionally in your work
- Helps: Job postings you want list Peer Support certification
- Helps: Your employer bills Medi-Cal peer support services
- Optional: You work in physical health, housing, maternal health or outreach roles
- Optional: Your target employers hire CHWs without a peer credential
- Optional: You are still deciding where you want your career to go
Training for this pathway
Catalyst training and curated outside options, each labeled so you know who issues it.
No training is tagged to this pathway yet — check Professional Development for the full directory.
Next steps
- Explore the California Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification if it aligns with your career goals.
- It is an external credential. Catalyst does not issue it.
Jobs in this pathway
Live postings from the Career Center that match this pathway's specialties.
No live postings tagged to this pathway right now.
Visit the Career CenterMentors in this pathway
Find members already working in chw & peer support and request a mentor.