Certified Peer Specialist Support for Mental Illness Recovery
Service Access & Management, Inc. runs a Certified Peer Specialist program that connects people diagnosed with a serious mental illness to someone who has lived through mental illness themselves and is further along in recovery.
A Certified Peer Specialist is a person with lived experience of mental illness who, through his or her own recovery, is able to support others in their journey. The specialist provides advocacy, encouragement, hope and support while you work toward identifying your own recovery goals. The approach is strength based and trauma informed, starting from the strengths you already have and building toward the goals you set for yourself and a life you find fulfilling.
The program is for individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Nothing on the page sets an age range or an income limit.
SAM offers the Certified Peer Specialist program in Adams County, Berks County, Clarion County and York County. Its mental health services are funded through Medicaid and Behavioral Health Managed Care organizations, and in some counties services may also be supported through county funds. SAM asks people to contact the individual location for more information on funding sources. No charge to the person served is stated, so ask about cost when you get in touch.
The page does not say how to enroll in peer support, and it does not list hours or a Berks County office address. It offers an email address for more information on mental health services, but that address is hidden by spam protection and does not display. The site's contact page lists 610-236-0530 or 877-236-4600 for Berks County and 1-855-737-2223 for the corporate office at 590 Terry Reiley Way, Pottsville, PA 17901; these are general contacts, not a stated intake line for this program. A Targeted Case Management Contact/Referral Form on the site at sam-inc.org/referralform is labeled for case management rather than for the peer specialist program.
This is a short program description within a broader mental health page, so it explains what the service is and where it is offered but little more.
Source: sam-inc.org/services/mental-health, read September 18, 2026.
The details
In Service Access & Management’s words
The Certified Peer Specialist program assist individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness, to work toward achieving their self-determined mental health recovery. A Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) is an individual who has lived experience with mental illness and through his/her own recovery is able to support others in their journey. A CPS provides advocacy, encouragement, hope and support to individuals as they work toward identify their recovery goals. Using a strength based and…
Organization
Service Access & Management
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from sam-inc.org/services/mental-health. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.