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Global Peer Support Celebration Day is October 15, and this week we’re recognizing the essential contributions of Certified Peer Support Specialists (CPSS) across North Carolina. CPSS workers use their lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery to help others connect to resources, navigate services, build confidence, set goals, and feel understood.
CPSS workers are engaged in communities and in a variety of recovery‑focused settings statewide. Since January, peer‑run organizations have supported more than 41,000 people. A statewide map is available showing where peer‑led programs operate.
North Carolina continues to strengthen peer support through workforce development, employment assistance, organizational support, and new training opportunities, including the Peer Supervisor Training launched in September.
The NC Peer Warm Line offers another way to connect directly with peers. Available 24/7, it provides phone, text, and chat support from CPSS workers who draw on their own lived experience to listen, offer encouragement, and help callers explore next steps. The Warm Line can be reached at 1‑855‑PEERS‑NC.
We invite you to show your support on Wednesday by wearing green for mental health, purple for addiction recovery, or both. If you participate, please send a photo to Olivia.w.mudd@dhhs.nc.gov; images will be shared Thursday.
Today, we’re also highlighting staff within the Division who have backgrounds in peer support. In a prerecorded conversation, Ashley Wurth and Lauren Garvie share how their lived experience continues to shape the support they provide. We encourage you to take a few minutes to hear their perspectives and reflect on the value lived experience brings to our work.
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