Community Support Specialist Program (CSSP) Providing
Mental Health Technician/Community (MHRT/C) Provisional Certification

The Community Support Specialist Program (CSSP) is a supported college level education program for adult persons in recovery¹ from mental health and/or substance abuse issues.  The CSSP students are enrolled in a nine-month college level educational program through the University of Maine system.  They are required to successfully complete five college courses (15 credit hours).   The courses are:  Community Mental Health, Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Interviewing and Counseling, Intercultural Communication, and Crisis Identification and Intervention.  The CSSP students earn the Mental Health Rehabilitation Technical/Community (MHRT/C) Provisional Certification.  This certification is a stepping-stone for graduates of the CSSP to go to work in the mental health field and continue on in a college degree program.  The MHRT/C is a requirement for employment in the community mental health system in Maine.

The criteria for acceptance into the CSSP-MHRT/C Program is:

• A history of recovery from mental health and/or substance abuse issues
• A desire for a career in the mental health or social services field
• The ability to do college level work
• A willingness to complete the additional 5 courses required for the MHRT/C and move forward in a degree program in mental health or social services.

One of the most important components of the CSSP is the encouragement, support, and information the CSSP students share with each other in the weekly support group.  Peer and natural supports have been found to be an important ingredient for successful recovery and decreased reliance of the formal helping system.  The result is a renewed sense of confidence in each student and their ability to continue in their education and employment goals.  The CSSP staff and university instructors provide education, advocacy, resources, and champion the education and recovery of every CSSP student.

An extensive nationwide search for a supported college education program, designed to meet the needs of people in recovery, equal to that of the CSSP has shown CSSP to be a one-of-a-kind program.  CSSP is a model supported education program and hopes to be replicated nationwide.

The CSSP program is a collaborative effort between Medical Care Development (MCD), the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA), the University of Southern Maine's Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Services, and the State of Maine Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

For more information on CSSP, please contact Linda McCluskey Sinclair at lindam@mcd.org 

¹Each person's journal of recovery is unique, but in general 'recovery' means a new and valued sense of self and purpose beyond the limits of disability. 

 Medical Care Development, Inc., 11 Parkwood Drive, Augusta, Maine  04330