New York Consolidated Laws, Mental Hygiene Law - MHY § 7.03 Definitions

1. “Office” means the office of mental health.

2. “Commissioner” means the head of the office of mental health.

3. “Mental health peer” or “MHP” means an individual with lived-experience who is actively in recovery from a mental health condition and has self-disclosed their mental health journey.

4. “Family peer advocate” or “FPA” means an individual with lived-experience as the biological, foster, or adoptive parent or primary caregiver of a child or youth with a social, emotional, behavioral, mental health, or developmental disability.

5. “Youth peer advocate” or “YPA” means an individual who self-identifies as a person with first-hand experience with mental health and/or co-occurring behavioral challenges as a young person or has received services in any one of the child-serving systems or programs pursuant to this chapter.

6. “New York state certified peer specialist” or “NYCPS” means a mental health peer who has specialized training and holds a credential from a certifying authority recognized by the commissioner.

7. “Credentialed family peer advocate” or “CFPA” means an individual verified to have met the criteria for a family peer advocate as defined in subdivision four of this section and who holds a credential from a certifying authority recognized by the commissioner.

8. “Credentialed youth peer advocate” or “CYPA” means an individual verified to have met the criteria for a youth peer advocate as defined in subdivision five of this section and who holds a credential from a certifying authority recognized by the commissioner.