PSSC Exam Format | Course Contents | Outline | Syllabus | Objectives

PSSC Exam Syllabus & Study Guide

Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official PSSC exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap.

The information below reflects the 2026 syllabus defined by CalMHSA.

Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.

CalMHSA PSSC Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist 1. Administrative Responsibilities - Document the peer support services in a thorough and timely manner in the individual's health record. - Maintain professional standards and boundaries by observing the guidelines established by the agency you represent. - Maintain confidentiality related to mental health and substance use treatment and services, both internally and externally, to the agency. - Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to coordinate care (e.g., post-hospitalization, post-incarceration re-entry services, residential treatment). - Participate in agency staff meetings, training, individual/group supervision, care coordination meetings, and other relevant professional meetings. - Use basic computer skills to navigate the internet, conduct research, and communicate with team members about the individual's care needs. 2. Behavioral Health Foundations - Knowledge of mental health conditions and available treatment options across the lifespan. - Knowledge of substance use challenges and available treatment options across the lifespan. - Be familiar with resiliency, recovery, and wellness approaches and techniques specific to individuals with mental health needs. - Be familiar with recovery approaches and peer support techniques specific to individuals with substance use challenges. 3. Interpersonal Skills - Use active listening skills and/or motivational interviewing techniques to identify and understand the individual's unique needs. - Use empathy to recognize the individual's unique experiences, perceptions, and worldview. - Use effective self-disclosure as a tool to validate the individual's lived experience to promote hope, resiliency, and coping strategies. - Use lived experience with recovery to engage, model, and demonstrate that individuals can achieve resiliency and wellness. - Practice self-awareness to ensure that the individual's resiliency and recovery remain the focal point of the peer support relationship. - Practice self-care to engage in activities to reduce stress, maintain personal health and work-life balance. - Work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, being respectful and responsive to their cultural beliefs and practices. - Build trust and mutual respect by seeking permission and partnership from the individuals for every phase of the recovery and wellness journey. - Model an equitable relationship of giving and receiving between the individual and the Peer Support Worker. 4. Recovery Support - Knowledge of the peer, consumer, and family member recovery movement and/or harm reduction models. - Understand the difference between the role of a peer support worker and clinical providers in the individual's care. - Knowledge of traditional behavioral health and harm reduction models. - Introduce and explore person-centered destigmatizing language choices. - Provide consensual, individualized, ongoing guidance, coaching, and support to ensure self-determination for individuals. - Utilize specific tools and models (e.g., harm reduction, mindfulness) to assist individuals in creating their own wellness and recovery plans. - Assist individuals in identifying their personal interests, goals, strengths, and barriers to wellness. - Help individuals brainstorm strategies and problem-solve solutions to overcome barriers. - Help individuals cultivate problem-solving skills to make informed, independent decisions. - Share and model effective coping techniques and self-help strategies to promote resiliency, recovery, and wellness for individuals. - Provide individuals with tools or knowledge to support a self-driven perspective in collaboration with other service providers. - Explore ambivalence to support individuals in devising wellness and recovery plans for desired change. 5. Advocacy - Promote self-advocacy to help individuals establish personal needs, goals, and objectives as their focal points of rehabilitation, resiliency, recovery, and wellness. - Assist individuals in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma (i.e., public, structural, and self) through self-advocacy. - Use formal channels to advocate for the individual's rights to services. 6. Community Inclusion - Use peer support practices to increase social networks, deepen social relationships, and cultivate a meaningful role for individuals. - Assist individuals in increasing social support networks of relatives, friends, and/or significant others. - Assist individuals in building interpersonal and social skills to engage the community and professional resources. - Serve as a liaison for collaboration with individuals, agency staff, family, friends, community partners, and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., politicians, coalitions, and special interest groups). - Empower individuals to take advantage of opportunities at varying levels of involvement in community-based activities (e.g., work, school, relationships, advocacy groups, physical activity, self-directed hobbies, volunteering, etc.). 7. Resource Linkage - Assist individuals in accessing community services and community resources, including social service benefits (e.g., Medicaid, public assistance, and housing). - Share community resources for mental health and substance use challenges. - Visit community resources with individuals to assist them in becoming familiar with potential opportunities. - Assist individuals in identifying and securing resources for all aspects of treatment, recovery, and wellness, including transitions in care (e.g., post-hospitalization, post-incarceration re-entry services, residential treatment). 8. Crisis Management - Identify community resources that individuals can turn to for immediate help in a behavioral health crisis. - Help individuals develop an advanced strategy for planning and managing behavioral health crises. - Identify signs and symptoms of a behavioral health crisis and activate supportive response skills where necessary. - Provide encouragement and ongoing support to individuals through the resolution of the behavioral health crisis.