Below is the recertification process, including when a deadline is missed:

• Materials and payment due by (or if sending payment in via check/money order, postmarked by) the recertification deadline date of January 31st in the year due to recertify.

If deadline is missed:

• There is a 1 month grace period after the recertification deadline (in this grace period, a person may apply for recertification in the same fashion and be recertified with no penalty – their certificate may be slightly delayed as they missed the original deadline).
• After the 1 month grace period, CPPS has 6 months from their original recertification deadline date (January 31st) to still send in recertification materials and payment PLUS a $25 additional late processing fee (also payable to UWM-SCE) as long as all materials are received and/or postmarked within 6 months of the original recertification deadline. Total payment for recertification during this time is $80 ($55 recertification fee + $25 additional late processing fee = $80).
• After 6 months of missing the original recertification deadline (August 31st), CPPS will then need to re-take the exam and pass to re-certify. CPPS has 2 attempts to pass exam.
• If a CPPS has a lapsed recertification for 2 years or more, they need to retake the training and exam.

Image below reviews the timeline after recertification deadline is missed (click for clearer image):

Below is the recertification process, including when a deadline is missed:

• Materials and payment due by (or if sending payment in via check/money order, postmarked by) the recertification deadline date of October 31st in the year due to recertify.

If deadline is missed:

• There is a 1 month grace period after the recertification deadline (in this grace period, a person may apply for recertification in the same fashion and be recertified with no penalty – their certificate may be slightly delayed as they missed the original deadline).
• After the 1 month grace period, CPS has 6 months from their original recertification deadline date (October 31st) to still send in recertification materials and payment PLUS a $25 additional late processing fee (also payable to UWM-SCE) as long as all materials are received and/or postmarked within 6 months of the original recertification deadline. Total payment for recertification during this time is $80 ($55 recertification fee + $25 additional late processing fee = $80).
• After 6 months of missing the original recertification deadline (October 31st), CPS will then need to re-take the exam and pass to re-certify. CPS has 2 attempts to pass exam.
• If a CPS has a lapsed recertification for 2 years or more, they need to retake the training and exam.

Image below reviews the timeline after recertification deadline is missed (click for clearer image):

While completing a Recovery Coach Professional training will meet some of the continuing education hours requirements for recertification as a Certified Peer Specialist, it is insufficient as the only source of continuing education. This is because of the specific nature of different “topic areas” of continuing education outlined in the recertification requirements. For example, the “peer specialist-specific” category would not be met. Additionally, CPS and CPPS should take care that the continuing education hours meeting the “ethics and boundaries” topic area requirement are presented from the lens of a peer specialist or parent peer specialist. Though there are some similarities between a Certified Peer Specialist and Recovery Coach Professional role, they are different enough where the RCP training would not be appropriate for meeting all 20 continuing education hours and the various topic areas for CPS recertification.

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.

As of May 18th, 2021, we have had updates to our recertification process. Please review our Recertification page for more details.