Peer Support Specialist Counseling Course – Fundamentals
This course is only open to attendees in the Reentry Peer Support Program. In addition to this
course, you will be provided with practicum opportunities and a mentor.
course, you will be provided with practicum opportunities and a mentor.
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Provide peer support counseling using common strategies such as active and empathetic listening, summarizing, and reflection in a trauma-informed manner
- Apply the basic principles of motivational interviewing
- Develop SMART goals and recovery plans
- Distinguish peer support from clinical care
- Be able to respond effectively to crises and know how and when to provide referrals to professional or emergency services
- Set appropriate boundaries and know how to use appropriate self-disclosure
- Create a plan to manage your own wellbeing
- Describe the signs of bias and (counter)transference and how to respond to them
- Outline the main categories of the peer support model
Facilitators:
Dr. Kirk Hopkins; Dr. Stephanie Kutzen, & Lauren
Course Timeline and Syllabus
Orientation - Dec. 6 |
Introduction to the peer support specialist program Discuss the course syllabus, objectives, and benefits Review the evaluation tools for the course |
Session 1 - Dec. 13 | Peer support role, limitations, and crisis management |
Session 2 - Dec. 20 |
Peer support counseling principles and techniques:
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Session 3 - January 3 |
Peer support counseling principles and techniques:
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Session 4 - January 10 | Setting boundaries, using self-disclosure, and responding to bias, transference, and countertransference |
Session 5 - January 17 | Stages of change and motivational interviewing |
Session 6 - January 24 | Wellness, goals, and recovery planning |
Session 7 - January 30 |
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Session 8 - February 7 |
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Evaluation:
- Apply the principles of peer support counseling under real-life observation
- Create sample SMART goals and a recovery plan
- Counseling sessions and observed and evaluated using CTS-R
- Peer evaluates the sessions using SRS V.3.0
- Peer support specialist can measure his client’s outcome using Recovery Oriented Systems Indicators, (ROSI)