If you have lived through mental health challenges, or supported someone close to you through them, your experience can help others. Peer support work turns that experience into a role, and Ontario's hospitals, community agencies and peer-run organizations all hire peer workers.
There is no single licence to get. Most people become a peer support worker in Ontario through the same path: reflect on their lived experience, complete peer support training, build supervised experience, and often go on to national certification. This guide walks through each step.
What a peer support worker does
A peer support worker uses their own lived experience of mental health challenges to support someone going through something similar. The Mental Health Commission of Canada notes that this experience can come from your own mental health or from caring for a loved one.
Day to day, peer workers listen, share what helped them when it is useful, help people set goals, and help them find their way through the mental health system. They do not diagnose, prescribe medication or provide crisis care. Read more about what peer support is.
Do you need a licence?
No. Peer support work is not regulated by a college in Ontario, so there is no licence or protected title. Instead, each employer sets its own requirements. Ontario job postings commonly ask for:
- Lived experience of mental health or substance use challenges, your own or a family member's, and a willingness to share it intentionally
- Peer support training from a recognized program
- Certification through Peer Support Canada, often listed as preferred
- Related education, such as a diploma or degree in social services, usually as an asset rather than a requirement
- Safety training, such as first aid and suicide intervention training
Some employers also ask for a vulnerable sector check, or for a period of stable recovery. Requirements differ, so read each posting carefully.
Step 1: Reflect on your lived experience
The Mental Health Commission of Canada's peer support guidelines describe a peer support worker as someone in a positive state of recovery who has developed the ability to support others. Before you start training, ask yourself:
- Am I comfortable sharing parts of my story, and choosing which parts to keep private?
- Can I listen to someone else's pain without it pulling me back into my own?
- Do I have people and practices that support my own wellbeing?
You do not need to have everything figured out. Recovery is ongoing for most people. What matters is that you can use your experience on purpose, for the benefit of the person you are supporting.
Step 2: Complete peer support training
Training teaches you how to use your experience safely and well: active listening, boundaries, recovery principles, trauma-informed practice, and knowing when to refer someone to other help.
One well-established option in Ontario is the PeerWorks Peer Support Core Essentials program, run by the organization formerly known as the Ontario Peer Development Initiative. It runs as 17 two-hour live online sessions led by certified trainers, and you must attend every session. Trainers assess each participant at the end. For the full PeerWorks Certified Peer Supporter certificate, you then complete a 50-hour monitored practicum of person-to-person support.
Local Canadian Mental Health Association branches and some colleges also run peer support training. Before you enrol, check whether employers in your area recognize the program.
Step 3: Build supervised experience
Hands-on experience matters to employers and counts toward national certification. Good places to start include:
- peer-run organizations and consumer/survivor initiatives
- Canadian Mental Health Association branches
- hospital and community health centre peer programs
- warmlines and support groups that use trained volunteers
Keep a record of your hours, the kind of support you provided and who supervised you. You will need it if you apply for certification.
Step 4: Consider national certification
Peer Support Canada offers national certification for peer supporters and for family peer supporters. Certification is an assessment of what you already know and can do, not a course. The process includes:
- an application
- reference and self-assessments
- a written knowledge assessment
- a verbal competency assessment
For full certification, you need at least 200 hours of formalized peer support experience. If you meet every other requirement but have fewer hours, Peer Support Canada offers provisional certification instead. Peer Support Canada says the process takes about three to four months. It recommends, but does not require, peer support training before you apply.
A 2026 Peer Support Canada information package put the typical cost at $1,200 per person, and some years include funded spots for specific groups. Check the current fee and any funding on their site before you apply.
Step 5: Learn what Ontario employers expect you to know
Ontario postings often mention familiarity with the laws that shape mental health care here, including the Mental Health Act, the Health Care Consent Act and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), which governs privacy. You do not need to be an expert. A working understanding of rights, consent and confidentiality will help in interviews and on the job.
Where peer support workers work
- Canadian Mental Health Association branches and community agencies
- hospitals, including emergency departments and inpatient units
- community health centres and assertive community treatment (ACT) teams
- peer-run organizations and support groups
- independently, through platforms that connect peer workers with clients
Offering peer support on KristKonkrd
KristKonkrd connects people in the mental health system with peer workers who have been through it. If you are a trained peer worker, you can:
- Create an account and set up your worker profile.
- Describe your experience, the support you offer and any limits on what you do.
- Wait for approval. We approve every worker before their profile appears to clients.
- Set your availability, so clients only request times you can offer.
- Accept session requests and get paid through the platform.
Common questions
Do you need a degree to be a peer support worker in Ontario
No. Lived experience and peer support training matter most. Some employers list a diploma or degree in social services as an asset, and some accept volunteer or support work experience in its place.
How long does it take to become a peer support worker
It varies. The PeerWorks Core Essentials training runs over 17 sessions, with a 50-hour practicum after it for full PeerWorks certification. Peer Support Canada certification takes about three to four months once you apply, and full certification needs 200 hours of experience.
How much does peer support certification cost in Canada
A 2026 Peer Support Canada information package put the typical cost of certification at $1,200 per person. Training programs charge their own fees. Check current prices with each organization, and ask employers whether they help with costs.
Can family members become peer support workers
Yes. Family peer supporters use their experience of supporting a loved one to help other families. Peer Support Canada offers a separate certification for family peer supporters.
Key takeaways
- Peer support work in Ontario has no licence. Employers set their own requirements.
- Lived experience, recognized training and supervised experience are the core of the path.
- PeerWorks Core Essentials is a well-established Ontario training option.
- Peer Support Canada certification needs 200 hours of experience for full status and takes about three to four months.
- Peer workers work in agencies, hospitals, peer-run organizations and independently.
Still deciding? Read how peer support differs from therapy.
Already trained? Create your KristKonkrd worker profile.