Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS)

The Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS) provides daily living support and residential services to individuals with mental illness. In order to be a MHSS you must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or a GED.

The MHSS course meets one of the requirements for Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician MHRT I certification. MHSS consists of approximately 35-hours of training and it is regularly offered throughout Maine by various agencies and trainers. The MHSS course may be waived in certain circumstances. Please see the section of our website on MHRT I for details.

NEW! For trainers of the MHSS curriculum and the MHRT/C non-academic domain training, there is now a page containing supplemental material, (link opens in a new page) shared by other approved trainers. If you have material you would like to share, please send it to cfl@maine.edu

As a Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS) trainer, you have a variety of requirements. Some of your responsibilities include: Offering the MHSS course to participants at least one time per year; notifying the Center for Learning at least 30 days before you teach the MHSS course; and collecting course evaluations from participants and submitting them to the Center for Learning.

You will also need to submit a Validation Form (confirmation of the dates that you taught the class and the names of participants who attended) to the Center for Learning.

By clicking on the following link, you will find detailed information about MHSS training policies and procedures.

• MHSS Training Policies and Procedural Manual (PDF)

NEW! For trainers of the MHSS curriculum and the MHRT/C non-academic domain training, there is now a page containing supplemental material, (link opens in a new page) shared by other approved trainers. If you have material you would like to share, please send it to cfl@maine.edu.

Below are links to the various forms that you will need as a trainer.

Use the Training Notification Form to notify the Center for Learning that you will be teaching the MHSS class:

MHSS Training Notification Form (updated June 1, 2025)

Training Notification Form Word    Training Notification Form PDF

Ask students to complete the Student Information Form so that they can be entered in the MHSS database. Should they lose their certifciate, this information will be needed to replace it.

MHSS Student Information Form (Updated March 18, 2024)

MHSS Student Info Word   MHSS Student Student Info Form PDF

Use the Training Validation Form to inform the Center for Learning of the dates that you taught the MHSS class and the names of students who participated:

MHSS Training Validation Form (Updated June 1, 2025)

Training Validation Form Word  Training Validation Form PDF