Peer Recovery Supporters Training

Certified Peer Recovery Supporter Training

The Ashtabula County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) 40-hour ONLINE Peer Recovery Supporter (PRS) Training!

The OhioMHAS 40-hour PRS Training is a live, interactive training that teaches prospective Certified Peer Recovery Supporters (CPRS) who self-identify as being in recovery from a mental health or substance use disorder to use their experience to help their Peers with the same lived experience. Prospective CPRS will engage in role-play activities and learn the skills necessary to offer high-quality Peer Support. Upon successful completion of PRS training, prospective CPRS will be eligible to apply for Adult Peer Recovery Supporter Certification in Ohio.

To attend training, you must be personally in recovery from a mental health and/or substance use disorder and be willing to share your personal story appropriately in a group setting. Having a friend or family member in recovery will not qualify you to attend this training.

Training Information

PLEASE NOTE: Ohio will soon retire its online training platform, eBased Academy, and transition to Ohio Learn, a more modern, secure management system where learners will have convenient access to all publicly available training from various state agencies in one location.

This transition to Ohio Learn will take effect on February 28, 2026.

Visit https://dbh.ohio.gov/community-partners/peer-supporters/welcome for more information.

Start/End Date: Check Back Soon
Class ID: –
Dates: Check Back Soon
Priority to Participants: Priority given to residents of Ashtabula County, OH
Time: TBD
Location: Online
Host Organization: Ashtabula County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board
Registration Contact: Bridget Sherman. bsherman@ashtabulamhrs.org

Potential participants must email bsherman@ashtabulamhrs.org for more information and to register.

About PRS Training

The OhioMHAS 40-hour PRS Training is a live, interactive training that teaches prospective Certified Peer Recovery Supporters (CPRS) in recovery from a mental health and/or substance use issue to use their experience to help their peers in recovery. Prospective CPRS will engage in role-play activities and learn the skills necessary to offer high-quality Peer Support. Upon successful completion of PRS training, prospective CPRS will be eligible to apply for Adult Peer Recovery Supporter Certification in Ohio.

Eligibility:

  • Must be personally in recovery from a mental health and/or substance use issue. (Having a friend or family member in recovery will not qualify you to attend this training.)
  • Be willing to share your personal story appropriately in a group setting.
  • Have a high school diploma/GED
  • Not currently on probation/parole.
  • Do not have any disqualifying offenses on your record. A list of disqualifying offenses can be found at https://mha.ohio.gov/community-partners/peer-supporters/resources/disqualifying-offenses.

The 40-hour PRS Training is just one step on the path to becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Supporter.  Here are the steps on the path to PRS certification:

STEP 1: Complete the free eBased Academy Certified Peer Recovery Supporter Learning Plan at this website: https://www.ebasedacademy.org/learn/learning-plans/3/certified-peer-recovery-supporter-training. Enroll in the learning plan and complete the modules in order. After you have completed all the modules, the final module will allow you to download your completion certificate. Save the certificate to your computer. The learning plan takes approximately 16 hours to complete; therefore, we recommend starting as soon as possible.

STEP 2: Complete the OhioMHAS 40-Hour PRS Training. The Ashtabula MHRS Board usually hosts two 40-hour PRS Trainings per year.  However, other organizations across Ohio host both in-person and online trainings throughout the year.  You can find the OhioMHAS 40-hour PRS Training Calendar at https://mha.ohio.gov/community-partners/peer-supporters/certified-peer-recovery-supporter-cprs-adult/paths-to-certification/complete-the-ohiomhas-prs-training/complete-the-ohiomhas-40-hour-prs-training/complete-the-ohiomhas-40-hour-prs-training.

STEP 3: Complete BOTH BCI and FBI Criminal Background Check. To Avoid delay in certification, complete your background checks as soon as you have registered for the 40-Hour PRS Training. Background checks may take 30-45 days to arrive at OhioMHAS. More information will be included in the Certification Application Checklist which will be emailed to you once your 40-Hourt PRS Training registration has been confirmed. If you are an Ashtabula County resident, please contact the Ashtabula MHRS Board for locations to complete your background check. There is a cost associated with obtaining the background check.

STEP 4: Gather the documents needed for certification. After you complete the PRS training, it is time to apply for PRS certification using the eLicense website. Before you apply for certification in eLicense, you must have all required documents ready to upload to the eLicense website at https://www.elicense.ohio.gov/OH_CommunitiesLogin.

You will need the following 2 documents ready to upload into eLicense.

  1. Certificate of Training Completion for the OhioMHAS 40-hour PRS Training
  2. Certificate of completion of the eBased Academy Certified Peer Recovery Supporter Learning Plan

STEP 5:  Apply for PRS Certification in eLicense.

STEP 6:  Pass the PRS Certification Exam. The online Peer Recovery Supporter (PRS) Certification exam is the final step of the certification application process. Once you have successfully applied for certification and your BCI & FBI background checks have been received, you will receive by e-mail a link to complete the online exam. You will receive your Ohio Peer Recovery Supporter certification via email through the eLicense portal within 14 business days after passing your PRS exam.

Exam Information:

  • The exam is not proctored. You may complete the exam wherever you are most comfortable. To ensure success, please choose a quiet, private location to complete your exam without interruption.
  • The exam has 113 multiple-choice questions.
  • The exam must be completed in one session. You cannot log out and return to the exam.
  • A passing score is 70%. You can take the exam up to 3 times.
  • The exam must be completed on a laptop or desktop computer. The exam website will not work properly on a phone or tablet.

STEP 7: Download a copy of your PRS Certification. You may download a copy of your wall certificate for your State of Ohio Peer Recovery Supporter Certification by logging into your eLicense account.

Once you have logged in, please select “OPTIONS” next to your license. From the drop-down menu that appears, please select “Download Wall Certificate.” This will be your State of Ohio PRS Certification, which you may save to your computer.

Additional information can be found on the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services website at  https://mha.ohio.gov/community-partners/peer-supporters/certified-peer-recovery-supporter-cprs-adult