Certified Peer Specialists

The next Certified Peer Training Session is August 30th – September 10th, 2010 Deadline to apply is August 26th.

Successful applicants MUST be currently employed within Assertive Community Treatment, Intensive Residential Treatment, Crisis Response and/or Adult Mental Health Rehabilitative programs OR have the promise of employment (signed letter from employer) in one of these programs.

The CPS training program consists of 80 hours of classroom time. Participants are required to attend all 80 hrs.

Certification is awarded if participants meet all training requirements AND receive a final grade of 80% or higher:

50% of grade is based on test scores
25% based on attendance
25% based on participation

The Department is committed to providing equitable training assistance to agencies throughout the State of Minnesota. The cost of training for Certified Peer Specialists who will be employed in agencies that provide fee-for-service programming will be covered by a contract with the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network of Minnesota and the Department, contingent upon continued availability of funding. Funding for additional costs beyond the training class (for example for travel, food and lodging) will be considered on an agency-by-agency basis in consultation with the Department.

To learn more about the CPS program guidelines and eligibility, please download the application at the bottom of this page.

A Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) is a paid staff person with a mental health diagnosis who has successfully completed training and certification. A CPS works within Assertive Community Treatment, Intensive Residential Treatment, Crisis Stabilization and Adult Mental Health Rehabilitative programs.

A CPS promotes self-determination, personal responsibility and empowerment inherent in recovery.

The Program

The CPS training curriculum is designed with recovery as the core value. The training provides an atmosphere that is conducive to learning core philosophies, helper attitudes, concepts, and skills related to recovery and peer support. Training sessions are designed to provide a “hands-on” experience translating concepts and skills into practice. Sessions provide an experiential process (small-group and one on one work) to parallel Certified Peer Specialist practice expectations. The curriculum is designed to help solidify learning by relating each session of the training encounter to the participant’s personal experience of recovery. By participating in the training, it is expected that participants will:

• Gain new knowledge
• Develop new skills
• Increase personal awareness
• Enhance their personal recovery