Please keep in mind that to use continuing education opportunities for recertification purposes the organization hosting the opportunity will have to provide you with a certificate or document that lists the number of continuing education hours that you have received. It is your responsibility to acquire documentation of continuing education hours. CPS continuing education requirements can be found here. CPPS continuing education requirements can be found here.
The requirements linked above detail the six areas (for CPS) or 4 areas (for CPPS) you need to cover in your continuing education for recertification. Reading through the title and description of a given continuing education opportunity should give you an idea as to not only if it’s relevant to your role but which of the six areas it might best fall under.
Webinars, conference sessions or breakouts, in-person and virtual trainings, as well as our own Community of Practice gatherings that cover material related to a topic area for CPS/CPPS recertification, oftentimes serve as appropriate options for continuing education.
Reading books, viewing youtube videos or TED Talks, or other videos related to the required topic areas for CPS/CPPS continuing educaiton do not qualify for recertification purposes. Also, college courses cannot be used for recertification purposes.
Please know that not every continuing education opportunity we send out on our contact list or post on social media fits in neatly with the role of a Certified Peer Specialist or Certified Parent Peer Specialist. Sometimes offerings we share fall in a category of, “this could be helpful information on the trajectory and components of service systems, but people should be bringing a critical analysis and peer support lens to explore its applicability or not to CPS/CPPS services.”
When attending continuing education opportunities, please keep in mind the guiding ethical principle of self-determination for CPS/CPPS, how we see our peers as the experts in their own experiences, the value of multiple pathways to recovery, as well as the differences between “helping” and connective support without undue influence on the lives and choices of our peers.
