What's the Certified Peer Specialist (CPS)?

My disappointment with the CPS program.

If you have been surfing around for new information on depression, 
you've probably run into this piece of news, the peer support specialist 
program. Peer Specialist is a new profession risen up within the field of 
mental health services. 

This comes about at a time when it is widely recognized that mental health
service providers are still a scarcity. As our society evolve into the 21st century
and care much more about how people feel as much as how much we care 
about how people think. This work force suppose to work as complementary to
other psychiatric professional. 

I came to this program with such high hopes that it'll be an enjoying training. 
Peer support by people with lived experiences would be a highly effective approach 
toward treatment for depression. Not only it smooths out the many barriers people feel about mental health services. The peer support specialist's primary task would create trust and understanding between psychiatric service providers and services recipients.  



But this Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) program disappointed me in major ways. Not only the instructors were not fully in touch with the class, the curriculum they designed and taught revolve around mental discrimination and the relating human rights issues.

Core values on recovery are then lectured in terms of fighting back for these rights and overcoming mental health prejudice. I left the training with a conclusion that I had come to the wrong place. It's not a training to help people work in healthcare, rather it is some kind of fighting back revolution.

Who are we fighting? As part of human race we continue to make discoveries and learn.
Scientists, psychologists, laid people or the very people who suffer with mental illness continue to learn. Remembering the time when I was ill and could hardly know where the problems were, I understand the general ignorance about mental health.

Therefore, I rather that we focus on new approaches that work, welcoming attitudes, healing concepts, and life skills related to recovery and peer support. 

Furthermore, training is supposed to transfer “hands-on” experience and personal concepts into real psychiatric services. 

"The role of peer specialist: “Peer Specialist” - provide information support, assistance and advocacy for recipients, and/orcaregivers/family members of 
consumers of mental health services." (Allen et al., 2010 (NASMHPD)

Nonetheless, getting certified makes it the more easier to be qualified 
for new positions open up at many health care institutions.
It is one thing to offer help and it is quite another to really provide help. It takes a deep understanding of core values in order to aid others with their recovery process.



Peer specialists' work rely on real recovery tools that are non-experimental. That is where the real value of lived experiences come in. Peer specialist support at any mental healthcare setting make possible the modeling of experience and recovery.

Recovery requires certain attitudes, beliefs and learning.
 And a recovered peer can easily show through modeling 
actions and behaviors. Through comfort, peer spirit, and
resourcefulness, peer specialists is a very effective recovery 
partner.

Whether it is mental crisis or continued care, employing 
the assistance of a peers specialist may help make resolutions 
come easier and the caring process go more smoothly. Not only it cut costs and shorten treatment goals, satisfactions is higher. 

Depression takes lives. It is time to reclaim the lives we still have. Think of this as a war against failing health. 

Currently, some sponsor organization are into making 
changes to the training to widen accessibility by different 
cultural groups, people who speak English as a second 
language, people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and 
young adults.

If you have any question regarding CPS training and 
related resources, you can leave your comments with 
contact email below.

  End Anxiety & Panic Attacks. Well-being And Self Help

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Updated 4/14/2013

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