Intentional Peer Support Core Training: August-October 2021

Training Location: Zoom Meeting

Webcam (preferably not a cell phone/tablet) and audio are required for participation.

This virtual training is being sponsored by HHSC Peer and Recovery Services Programs. Currently employed Peer Supporters (includes Peer Specialists and Certified Family Partners) have priority for this training.

Intentional Peer Support is a powerful framework for thinking about and creating transformative relationships. Practitioners learn to use relationships to see their lives and identities from new angles, develop greater awareness of personal and relational patterns, and support and challenge each other in trying new things. IPS is used across the world in settings ranging from peer-run programs to traditional human services. We come from a history of grassroots alternatives that focus on building relationships that are mutual, explorative, and conscious of power, discrimination, and oppression. In a highly interactive environment, participants learn the tasks and principles of IPS, examine assumptions about who they are, acknowledge our histories of oppression and trauma through a lens of ‘what happened’ and explore ways to create relationships in which power is negotiated, co-learning is possible, and support goes beyond traditional notions of “helper and helpee” IPS is all about opening up new ways of seeing, thinking, and doing, and here we examine how to make this possible within our communities.

Training Dates: 10 training days total, to occur on Thursday and Friday from 8:30-12:30 CST each day (for 5 total weeks, skipping September 3-4 due to the Labor Day holiday weekend)

Week 1: August 26-27, 2021

Week 2: September 9-10, 2021

Week 3: September 16-17, 2021

Week 4: September 23-24, 2021

Week 5: September 30-October 1, 2021

Eligibility Requirements: Ideal applicants for this training include only persons who are currently employed as Peer Supporters at their agency (this includes Peer Specialists and Certified Family Partners). Therefore, you must attest to the following:

• I have lived experience with mental health or substance use challenges

• I am willing to share my personal experiences with other participants during this highly interactive training

Once your Statement of Attestation has been uploaded to your www.centralizedtraining.com account, it will be reviewed, and you will be notified via an email if you are accepted to be a participant in the workshop. The Statement of Attestation is made available to you on your Centralized Training account once you have registered.

This virtual training provides 35 hours of Continuing Education Credits for the following licenses: Psychologist, Professional Counselor, Psychological Associate, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapist, Chemical Dependency Counselor, Peer Specialist, Supported Employment Specialist and Certified Family Partner. Upon successful completion of this virtual training, you will earn a certificate of completion and (if applicable) continuing education credit.