5-day Training Online via Microsoft Teams. You must attend each day of training in full to complete certification.
 
Youth Peer Support is the support that is provided by a young adult who has experience living with an emotional, social, behavioral, and/or substance use diagnosis who helps youth and young adults who are experiencing similar challenges. BBSC emphasizes the importance of evidence-based practice and values the opportunity to provide professionals working in human services with continuing education that will enhance the work they are doing with Kentucky’s children, families, and communities. 
 
The Kentucky Youth Peer Support Specialist (YPSS) training is a 30-Hour state-approved program with the Kentucky Family Leadership Academy (KFLA) serving as its prerequisite. An applicant must possess specific criteria to qualify for this training per requirements of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. An applicant shall: 
 
Be an individual who is at least eighteen (18) years of age and is not older than thirty-five (35) years of age; 
 
Have lived experience; 
 
Be receiving or have received from at least one (1) child-serving agency a state-funded service that is related to the youth’s emotional, social, behavioral, or substance-abuse disability; 
 
Have a High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) certificate; 
 
Have successfully completed the KFLA training. If you have not completed the KFLA training with BBSC, documentation must be provided and approved by BBSC; 
 
Explain the experience of receiving state-funded services from at least one (1) child-serving agency on the applicant’s Short Essay Form; 
 
Demonstrate experience with leadership and advocacy in the field of behavioral health, and; 
 
Demonstrate his or her own efforts at self-directed leadership development.