Peer Perspectives: Expectations and Satisfaction with Certified Peer Specialist Services

Certified Peer Specialists (CPSs) have experienced recovery from mental illness and are employed in the mental health system to provide peer support. The importance of CPS services is that support is provided by individuals with shared experience of the disabling power of mental illness. The present study is an initial examination of expectations and satisfaction with CPS services using the expectancy-disconfirmation theory as a conceptual framework. Attendees of the 2009 Kansas Recovery Conference were asked to volunteer for an interview about CPS services, in which 26 CPS service recipients and 146 non-recipients completed interviews. Kruskal-Wallis analyses found no significant differences between expectations of benefits before or after receiving CPS services. Significant positive correlations were found between satisfaction and perceived benefits of CPS services. Results of the study provide support for the expectancy-disconfirmation theory, indicating positive initial perceptions of CPS services, and suggesting that peers have consistent expectations of and experiences with CPS services.