Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Fall 2025 Entry Course Application

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Entry Course which is operated by Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS) and funded by the San Francisco Department of Public Health with Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63) funds. Please read this page thoroughly before continuing to the application.

About the Entry Course
This course is designed to prepare individuals and family members of individuals who have lived experience in behavioral health services with basic skills and knowledge for entry-level peer provider roles. The Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Program has been running successfully since 2010. The Entry Course runs two times annually, in the fall and in the spring. This course is an approved training for CA Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification and prepares students for the exam. For more information about the program and answers to frequently asked questions visit ramsinc.org/peercertificate.

Minimum Qualifications
In order to qualify for this course, please note that you must meet the following requirements. If you have any questions about these requirements, please check out our website linked above.

*at least 18 years of age 
*resident of San Francisco 
*minimum high school diploma or GED (transcript or diploma required)
*personal or family experience in the behavioral/mental health system

Attendance Requirement
Due to the experience-based learning style of this course, this course is only offered in-person. You may miss a maximum of 2 classes to graduate. Other makeup work may be discussed with the instructor on a case-by-case basis. 

Important Dates & Location
Program Info Session & Application Help Workshops: Weds Aug 6th 2pm-3pm – click HERE to join Zoom *attendance is strongly encouraged!*
Application Due Date: Mon Aug 18th at 5pm
Notification of Status via Email: week of Aug 25th
Course Schedule: 9/18 – 12/16, Tuesdays & Thursdays 10am-2pm @ SFSU Downtown Campus, 160 Spear Street (no class on 11/11 & 11/27)
Course Location: San Francisco State University Downtown Campus, 160 Spear St 

Application Instructions 
It is recommended that you look over the application and prepare all your attachments and personal statement before you fill it out. If you do not complete your application in one sitting, click "SAVE" and you should recieve an email with a link to your draft so that you can complete it at a later time. Due to differences in technology this is not guaranteed and we cannot recover lost applications.

Attach a typed personal statement answering ALL of the following questions. Please write 2-5 sentences per question. We want to get to know you and why you want to take the course!

1. About yourself and why you want to take this course

2. How you hope to utilize the learned skills to contribute to the behavioral health field in your work or volunteer role

3. Current or past education, training, and work experience (including volunteer and advocacy) in the peer counseling and/or mental health field, if applicable.

4. In order to be able to support others in their wellness and recovery, it is important for the peer provider to be actively engaged in their own wellness and recovery. Please describe what wellness and recovery currently mean to you. 

5. It takes commitment to complete this course; what challenges might you anticipate for yourself and how could you manage them?

****Your personal statement must answer ALL the questions in order for your application to be considered. *****

We are unable to recieve handwritten statements. Please only submit typed documents.