Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification Preparation Guide

These vocabulary flashcards cover key administrative terms, exam-specific concepts, and definitions from the glossary provided in the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification Preparation Guide.

Senate Bill 803

Landmark legislation providing the public behavioral health system with a vital mechanism for peer support and workforce expansion in California.

California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA)

The certifying entity approved by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to certify Peer Support Specialists, training entities, and continuing education providers.

Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist (PSS)

An individual 18 or older who has self-identified as having lived experience with the process of recovery from mental illness, substance use disorder, or both, as a consumer, parent, or family member.

Core Competencies

The minimum knowledge base comprising 17 specific areas, such as trauma-informed care and recovery principles, necessary to perform job activities as a Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist.

Understand/Recall Questions

Less rigorous exam items requiring foundational knowledge of terminology and definitions, typically containing only one sentence.

Apply and Analyze Questions

Cognitively complex exam questions designed to assess skill mastery, critical thinking, and problem-solving, containing two to three sentences.

Examination Blueprint

A guide identifying the number of questions per dimension and items per job task to ensure exam results reflect the individual competency of the test taker.

Pearson VUE

The third-party agency that proctors the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification exam both online and in-person.

Cut Score

The level of knowledge a candidate must demonstrate to pass the exam, established through a standard setting process by subject matter experts.

Pilot Items

Randomly placed exam questions used to verify relevance and quality for future exams that do not influence final scores or pass/no pass status.

Advocacy

Involves providing patients and caregivers with support and education to empower them to make informed decisions as allies within the healthcare journey.

Consumer

A person receiving mental health and/or substance use disorder (behavioral health services) in a public county behavioral health delivery system.

Lived Experience

An individual's first-hand experience with mental health and/or substance use challenges, including the processes of recovery and resiliency.

Recovery

A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential while honoring cultural diversity.

Resiliency

An individual's capacity to successfully meet life's challenges, nurtured to have a sense of self-determination, mastery, and hope.

Self-advocacy

The ability of an individual to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate, or assert their own interests, desires, needs, and rights.

Wellness

The conscious and deliberate process of creating and adapting behavior patterns that lead to improved health across eight dimensions including emotional, financial, and physical.

Code of Ethics

A set of guidelines that a certified Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist adheres to regarding their professional roles, levels of responsibility, and functions.

Dual Relationship

A Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist’s non-therapeutic relationship with a recipient of care, including any activity identified as not allowed within the Code of Ethics.

Active Learning

A study strategy where the learner engages with material in multiple ways, such as grouping similar concepts together or annotating important ideas while reading.