Certified peer specialist (CPS training regularly comes up lately on various listservs I frequent.. The following offers an opportunity for more individuals to participate in the same..
As a graduate of Georgia Peer Support Project (PSP), a like-minded project that persons of all disabilities, all parties involved profit incredibly from programs just such as these.. Good luck to all who apply..
Georgia Department of Human Resources :: Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases (MHDDAD)
Two Peachtree Street, NW
Suite 22.224
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3171
Phone: 404-657-2100
Carol Coussons de Reyes / Director / Consumer Relations and Recovery Section
2 Peachtree St., NW
Suite 23-411 / Atlanta, GA 30303
Email: emfilson@dhr.state.ga.us, ccoussonsdereyes@dhr.ga.gov.
Greetings from the Consumer Relations and Recovery Section:
We are pleased to announce the upcoming March 2007 certification training for Peer Specialists at Simpsonwood Lodge and Conference Center in Norcross, GA. The Georgia CPS Project is an initiative of the Division of MHDDAD in partnership with the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (www.gmhcn.org). Please note the training schedule, cost, and application procedure below. Attached please also see the required application material for prospective participants.
This March 2007 training marks our 18th to date. There are approximately 340 Certified Peer Specialists in GA, as well as those who have joined us for training from 12 other states and Canada. Certified Peer Specialists (CPSs) work in a variety of settings both within and outside of the mental health system and are leaders in some of GA’s newest initiatives: The Medical College of GA has hired a CPS to bring strengths based recovery and the concept of peer support to student physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists. CPSs in Milledgeville are supporting consumers currently transitioning from long term hospitalization into the community under the Olmstead Law. A CPS in partnership with clinical providers in a traditional system has created The Peer Support Specialist Program of the Veteran’s Administration in Augusta. The dynamic energy of CPSs in the mental health system is a testimony to the power of recovery. The support that many CPSs receive from the system is a testimony to the investment that Georgia has made in recovery. Every CPS, as a recovery agent, has lived experience and expertise that is invaluable to the system. May the light of recovery shine for all to see!
As a consumer leader, I can assure you that Georgia is invested in recruiting consumer leadership. The Consumer Relations and Recovery Section of the Division of MHDDAD is currently looking for a CPS to join the staff as the Director of the CPS Project. The Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network continues under the leadership of a CPS Executive Director. The partnership forged by these organizations has underscored Georgia’s determination to be a leader in mental health system transformation. Each and every CPS is a leader for their agency or center.
The National Institute of Medicine promotes the GA CPS Project as a model for other states to emulate. Weekly, the Consumer Relations and Recovery Section gets calls from other states asking, “How did you do it?” The Project has also been identified as an “innovative and exceptional practice” by the Annapolis Coalition on Behavioral Health Workforce. The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will release a Resource Kit, Building a Foundation for Recovery: How States Can Bill Medicaid for Peer Support Services and Train a Workforce of Peers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently endorsed peer support services, a milestone accomplishment that will allow other states to tap into a steady funding mechanism for peer support services.
When there is hope in recovery, there is power in the present.
Training Schedule
Week One: March 5 –March 9, beginning at 9am on March 5, and ending on Friday, March 9 at 2pm
Week Two: March 12 –March 14, beginning at 1pm on March 12, and ending on Wednesday March 14 at 12 noon
Cost: Hotel accommodations and meals are included. Single Occupancy: $90 per night (tax exempt individuals), $104.94 per night (with tax). Double Occupancy per person: $71 per night (tax exempt individuals), $75.26 per night (with tax)
Registration Fee: $85.00
Deadline: for all application materials is February 12TH.
For more information, including criteria for acceptance go to www.gacps.org and select "Trainings" or contact Jill Viles, secretary, at 404-657-2103; email jiviles@dhr.state.ga.us. If you have any difficulties you can contact Carol Coussons de Reyes by leaving a message with Jill or by emailing her at ccoussonsdereyes@dhr.ga.gov.
Resource: Sharon McDaniel, disABILITY LINK.
