VT Peer Credentialing Center
Building a Certified Peer Workforce Rooted in Lived Experience
The Vermont Peer Credentialing Center is the official hub for credentialing peer support providers — individuals who use their own lived experience of mental health, substance use, and trauma recovery to support others on their journeys.
Through a partnership with the Vermont Department of Mental Health and the Office of Professional Regulation, the Center upholds the values of mutuality, respect, and self-determination that define peer support. Certification through this program recognizes a provider’s experience, training, and commitment to ethical, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented practice.
Through clear paths — including standard certification, reciprocity, and alternate routes for experienced providers — Vermont’s credentialing process ensures that peer supporters are recognized as essential professionals in the behavioral health system.
The Vermont Peer Credentialing Center is more than a gatekeeper of certification; it is a resource for ongoing growth, integrity, and connection within the peer community. Together, we are strengthening the peer workforce and advancing a vision of wellness grounded in hope, human rights, and shared experience.
Vermont Peer Learning Conference 2026
Join us for a day of learning, connection, and community at the Vermont Peer Learning Conference on Friday, June 26 from 10:00am–5:00pm at the Vermont State University Randolph Campus. This uplifting gathering will bring together Peer Support Providers, advocates, leaders, and community members from across Vermont for a meaningful day focused on wellness, leadership, recovery, and the power of peer support.
The conference will feature inspiring keynote speakers, interactive workshops, opportunities to build new connections, and continuing education for Peer Support Providers. Lunch will be provided.
This is a FREE event made possible through significant community investment and partnership. Because space is limited and costs are substantial, we ask that you please register only if you are committed to attending. If your plans change for any reason, we kindly ask that you notify us as soon as possible so that we may offer your seat to someone else.We look forward to learning and growing together in a hopeful, welcoming, and engaging environment.
Want to Present at the Conference? Proposals DUE no later than June 1.
Workshop Proposal Information
If you have questions or want to volunteer, please let me know! The Copeland Center looks forward to seeing you there. Email: [email protected]
Announcing Keynote Speaker
We are happy to announce Len Statham as a keynote speaker for the Vermont Peer Learning Conference. Len will present “Our Stories Matter: Peer Support, ReStory, and the Power of Human Connection,” an inspiring and reflective conversation on the role of storytelling, lived experience, and authentic human connection in recovery and wellbeing.
Len Statham, M.S. is the founder of ReStory, a wellness and storytelling platform that helps individuals and organizations reconnect with meaning, identity, and transformation through reflective storytelling practices. He is the author of 5 Greatest Moments: Being Gratefully Present in a Chaotic World, a book that encourages readers to slow down, recognize meaningful moments, and cultivate gratitude and presence in everyday life. He also serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery and has spent more than 25 years advancing peer support, psychiatric rehabilitation, and recovery-focused systems transformation. Through both professional and personal experience, Len brings a powerful perspective on hope, healing, and the importance of our shared stories.
VT Peer Credentialing Advisory Committee
Dear Community Partners,
Vermont is building something historic — its first statewide Peer Credentialing Center — and we need your voice to guide the process.
The Vermont Peer Credentialing Advisory Committee will play a key role in developing the policies, structure, and values that define how peer support specialists are recognized and supported across the state. This is an opportunity to ensure that peer support in Vermont remains grounded in lived experience, mutuality, and self-determination.
Why this matters:
Vermont’s peer workforce continues to grow and take on new roles in mental health, substance use, and community recovery settings. The new credentialing process will help strengthen professional recognition, open doors for employment and advancement, and ensure that training and supervision standards reflect the true spirit of peer support.
Committee members will:
- Advise on policies, application and renewal processes, and accessibility standards
- Ensure that credentialing reflects diverse voices, regions, and experiences
- Review materials and provide recommendations to the Department of Mental Health and Office of Professional Regulation
- Support equity, transparency, and quality in peer services statewide
Who should consider joining:
- Peer support specialists (credentialed, provisional, or in training)
- Supervisors, employers, and program directors who support peer staff
- Representatives from advocacy, recovery, and training organizations
- State and community partners (DMH, OPR, local networks)
- Anyone with lived experience passionate about advancing the peer workforce
Commitment:
Meets virtually quarterly, with opportunities to join committees of your interest.
By participating, you’ll help shape a credentialing system that supports both peer integrity and workforce sustainability — and that keeps Vermont at the forefront of peer-led innovation.
Please consider joining, or share this widely with others in your networks who care about strengthening the peer workforce in Vermont.
For more information or to express interest, scan the QR code on the attached flyer, follow this link or contact [email protected].
Alternative Path Credentialing
Do you currently work in Peer Support and have knowledge of peer support practices? You may want to consider taking the abbreviated path toward certification.
Reciprocity Credentialing
Do you currently hold a peer support certification in another state? Reciprocity Credentialing is for peers who are already certified in a state other than Vermont.
Standard Path Credentialing
The standard path has you take peer support training through Pathways VT. After completion, you will take an exam through the VT Peer Credentialing Center. Successful candidates will then gain the credential they need to reach certification through Office of Professional Regulation (OPR). There will be more information on this path as it is established and training is rolled out.
Stay Updated
You are invited to stay connected and learn more about trainings, wellbeing programs, continuing education opportunities, and more!