Trainings Accepting Applications:

We have two (2) more virtual trainings that opened applications Friday, June 12th at 12pm (noon). The applications for these trainings are available on their respective event listings (linked below).

We urge interested applicants to thoroughly read each event listing, as the vast majority of training-related questions we receive are detailed in these listings.

Applications that opened June 5th at noon:

Statewide Certified Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS) training
Hours for this training are between 5-8pm on training dates.
Statewide Certified Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS) training
Hours for this training are between 9am-12pm on training dates. This was originally a private training and is now opening up applications statewide.
Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) training (Options to Independent Living Service Region only)
Hours for this training are between 9am-12pm on training dates. It serves residents of Brown, Calumet, Door, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago Counties.

Applications that opened June 12th at noon:

Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) training (Society’s Assets Service Region only)
Hours for this training are between 5-8pm on training dates. It serves residents of Jefferson, Kenosha, Racine, Rock, and Walworth Counties.
Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) training (Access to Independence Service Region only)
Hours for this training are between 5-8pm on training dates. It serves residents of Columbia, Dane, Dodge, and Green Counties.

We would also like to stress that basic eligibility for the Certified Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS) training requires that you have first-hand lived experience of being in a parenting role to a child with mental health and/or substance use experience.

Lastly, we highly encourage people to apply as soon as they are able if interested (i.e., plan to be on those links at noon on the day they open). We can only consider the first 50 applicants per training for potential participation. Once 50 applications are submitted, the application form will close.

Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist and Certified Parent Peer Specialist Training

The trainings coordinated by the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative utilize the state-approved, integrated (covering both mental health and substance use lived experience) curricula for Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) and Certified Parent Peer Specialists (CPPS).

CPS training is composed of 48 hours in topics including:

Mental health recovery
Substance use challenges
Ethics and boundaries in peer support
Advocating alongside peers and advocating within your role
Effective self-disclosure and communication
Culturally-informed service provision
Trauma-informed care
Person-centered approaches
Navigating crises in the peer support relationship
And much more…

CPPS training is composed of 48 hours in topics including:

Child development
Family resilience
Trauma-informed care
Family-driven support
Mental health recovery
Substance use challenges
Advocating alongside families
Youth and family service system navigation
Effective self-disclosure and communication
And much more…

Trainers have their own lived experience, have been trained in the effective facilitation of the CPS or CPPS curriculum, and were selected in partnership with Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Two state-approved trainers facilitate each training with one trainer focusing on mental health lived experience and the other focusing on lived experience of substance use challenges.

How Can I Apply for a Training?

Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) and Certified Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS) trainings are usually designed to serve specific regions of the state made up of various counties. Some trainings may even be specific to a single county or tribe. The listings for trainings on this website will specify to which county and/or tribe you must belong in order to apply.

If you see an upcoming training listed that serves your county or tribe, take note of the date and time applications open. The application for that training will be available on that same event listing at that date and time.

Applications close when the application deadline comes about or when 50 applications are received, whichever is sooner. After applications close, trainers will begin reviewing applications, may call applicants to conduct a phone interview, and will select 14-18 training participants from the larger applicant pool.

If selected as a training participant, it is important that you attend the full training. Though full attendance is necessary to pass the training, it is not a guarantee of receiving the training certificate needed to then apply for taking the CPS or CPPS exam. Passing the training will require both attendance and demonstrating a basic understanding of the materials presented and skills needed in a peer specialist.

Once you have passed the training and received the training certificate of completion, you may apply to take the statewide exam for the certification specific to your training.

There is currently no registration cost associated with trainings for selected participants. However, there is a registration cost of $50 when applying for the certification exam.

This website is the most up-to-date source of scheduled CPS and CPPS trainings in Wisconsin. If there is no training listed on this page that serves your county or tribe, that indicates there are no training events currently planned for your county or tribe.

Despite the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling striking down the statewide Safer-at-Home order, we will be continuing with all scheduled virtual trainings, and we will not be returning to offering in-person trainings at least until September of 2020.

Upcoming Events

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July 2020

Virtual Certified Peer Specialist Training (Statewide) – Applications Closed

July 10 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

|Recurring Event (See all)

A young man sitting at a desk in front of a computer and tablet.

We are happy to announce a virtual Certified Peer Specialist training coming to Wisconsin residents in July of 2020! Training dates: July 10th, 13th-17th, 20th-24th, 27th-31st (5-8pm all days) This virtual training will accept applications from all residents of Wisconsin. You must be a resident of Wisconsin, complete an online application, and pass an interview to be selected for this training. For more information about Certified Peer Specialists, what they do, and where they work, please see our Peer Specialist…

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