Peer Support

What Training Do Certified Peer Specialists Undergo?

To become a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), adults 18 or older must have completed their own recovery process. A personal statement of shared experience and a completed application are required before approval to enter a training course.

After approval, applicants undergo a 75-hour training course given by one of three Pennsylvania training vendors. This course covers:

• Advocacy
• Essential functions of a CPS
• History of peer support
• Leadership and management skills
• Roles, values, and benefits
• Values and ethics

After completing the training course, the adult must pass the PCB CPS Examination. Every two years, the CPS must complete recertification with another 36 hours of continuing education and pay the recertification fee.

The Values That Drive Peer Support

At the heart of Skills of Central PA’s Peer Support program is a commitment to make mental health support collaborative and human. Instead of approaching recovery through clinical measures, CPS bases interactions on fostering empowerment, restoring a sense of self, and promoting dignity.

Empowerment and Self-Determination

Empowerment begins when someone realizes they are the expert on their own life and has control over how their recovery path moves forward. Instead of giving an individual a cookie-cutter path to follow, CPSs join individuals as they set their own path.

The CPS shares their experiences and helps the participant become empowered, set personal goals, and learn to advocate for themselves. This helps individuals become determined to do the same.

Shared Experiences

Our Peer Support program is built on shared experiences. CPS brings their own mental health journeys into the relationship, helping the individual realize they’re not alone.

By sharing this background, they move from a counselor-patient relationship to a partnership grounded in shared histories and experiences. Peer Specialists provide a vision into the future and what happens when you set realistic goals and overcome struggles.

Community Integration and Holistic Well-Being

To truly recover, you have to do more than manage your symptoms. You have to become integrated in the community and feel like you’re part of the town or city where you live, work, and socialize.

CPS helps individuals find and maintain connections throughout the community. Whether it’s finding suitable, lasting employment or volunteering for causes important to them, Peer Support helps the person become independent, socially active, and feel valued by others.

Dignity and Respect

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their past or where they are in their recovery. Peer Specialists cultivate a safe, judgment-free space where individuals are fully accepted as they are.

By encouraging participants to progress at their own pace, CPS ensures they can take both small steps and bold strides toward their recovery and wellness goals. Participants know that even if they stumble along the way, they will be supported without judgment. This helps them maintain their dignity throughout the healing process.