Colorado Mental Wellness Network s Peer Support Specialist Training Overview

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1 Colorado Mental Wellness Network s Peer Support Specialist Training Overview Real Skills~ Real Support~ Real Hope Training Experience The Colorado Mental Wellness Network (The Network), formerly known as the Wellness Education Coalition and Advocacy Network (WE CAN!) has a long history, dating back to 1998, of providing high quality, peer-led trainings. The foundational program, The Colorado Leadership Academy, is well recognized for providing individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders with a comprehensive leadership curriculum. Originally based on West Virginia s Leadership Academy, the manuals have been enhanced significantly over the years. Our graduates have gone on to start-up local warm lines, support groups, educational workshops and one recent Academy graduate has started his own 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The Network also provides the evidence-based practice Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) with fidelity to the model to community members for over three years. Staff are also certified to provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training (a promising practice). Additionally, staff and volunteers travel around the state providing Wellness Workshops to individuals receiving services from public mental health centers and to the community. The workshop topics are selected by the participants and have included; self-advocacy, communication, overcoming stigma, empowerment, and other recovery-based concepts. The Network is the Colorado Chapter of the International Association of Peer Supporters (inaps) and has partnered with the Advocates Forum and the Veteran s Administration as well as other organizations to collaborate on a statewide network approach to better communicate and establish a support system for peer specialists. What Students are Saying About The Network s Peer Support Specialist Trainings I feel fortunate to be able to take the Peer Support Specialist Training Program through the Colorado Mental Wellness Network. I am currently responsible for two peer specialist programs in the Denver metro area. In taking the training, I now have a better sense of the role and responsibilities of a peer specialist. The training also facilitated me getting in touch with my own story. I now embrace my personal recovery as part of who I am. - -Scott Utash Director of Member and Family Affairs Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.

2 "I thought I knew a lot about mental illness and peer support from all my years of volunteering for a support group, but I found The Network's training program provided more information and skills that helped me to become a professional. It was more enlightening than I ever expected. With my new found skills, and support from The Network, I now have a job and a career as a peer support specialist which I am passionate about. It has been the most rewarding experience of my life!" Peer Specialist Training Format -Laurie Woodman Peer Support Specialist RISE Program Curriculum Colorado Mental Wellness Network based the peer specialist curriculum on the National Association of Peer Specialist (NAPS) training manual written by Steve Harrington, Director. Using the NAPS manual as a foundation, the curriculum has been expanded, revised and updated to meet the Colorado Core Competencies for Peer Support Specialists/ Recovery Coaches/Family Advocates/ Systems Navigators which were accepted by the Behavioral Transformation Council in April 2013 to ensure that students have a comprehensive resource to learn from. Other resources used to develop the manual included Pathways to Recovery a workbook developed by the University of Kansas in addition to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration s (SAMHSA) recommendations for peer specialist training components. Additionally, a few of the chapters (particularly on diagnoses) are based on SAMHSA s un-copyrighted fact-based materials. Colorado s original standards for peer support specialist training were based on components identified by the Advocates Forum stakeholder group then adopted by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). In 2008, The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) established Peer Specialist Competencies to provide guidance on the basic skills and knowledge that peer specialists in Colorado must have. The competencies were developed in collaboration with Medicaid members, HCPF and mental health provider staff, and community advocates. In 2011 through collaboration with the previous mentioned stakeholder groups, the Colorado Chapter of inaps, Advocates for Recovery and Colorado Chapter of the Federation of Families for Children s Mental Health,these core competencies were revised to include Recovery Coaches and Family Advocates & Systems Navigators. These approved core competencies are outlined on the final page of this overview. Training Model There are many ways in which peer specialist training is delivered throughout the U.S. and in Colorado. The magnitude and scope of the curriculum requires that students have sufficient processing time between sessions and time for practice or role playing for application. Keeping in line with the spacing effect the curriculum is delivered over several days and/or weeks. Additionally, the topics covered within the manual are comprehensive and often sensitive in nature, which will require significant discussion time. Most importantly, the role peer specialists play is one of great responsibility, adequate preparation time is

3 essential for individuals to feel confident moving forward into their roles. The Network understands the need for flexibility and access statewide and therefore intends to make training available to individuals both within and outside the public mental health system. This training program is not a train-the-trainer model. The reason for this is that the train-the-trainer model can dilute the curriculum and lessen fidelity to the original model. There is also the opportunity for the sponsoring organization to inadvertently apply pressure on the trainer to modify the training to accommodate the needs of the program (e.g., shortening the length of the training for faster turn-around of trained peers). Lastly, not everyone is meant to be a trainer or wants to be a trainer. It takes a great deal of experience to become an effective instructor and should happen well after a peer has been working in the field. For those reasons The Network feels that keeping the peer specialist training outside of the employing organization is best for peers and the individuals they serve. Regardless of training delivery, all graduates will be required to complete homework, role plays, three practical elements and a final exam with a passing grade of 80 % or above to demonstrate adequate comprehension of course content. Additionally, trainers will provide follow-up technical assistance to graduates for a period of time as they transition into positions. The Network s 2014 Spring and Fall Trainings format: 80 training hours delivered over a three week period as follows: Week One: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Week Two & Three: Monday, Wednesday and Friday Each training day as follows: 8:30 AM -12:30 PM Instruction (one break) 12:30 PM -1:30 PM Lunch (provided to students) 1:30 PM 4:30 PM Instruction (one break) Training Supervision The Network Executive Director, Amanda Kearney-Smith, Part-time Contractor, Joann Calabrese, and Full-time Manager of Programs & Volunteers, Jennifer Hill, will provide direction and supervision of course instructors, who are trained and experienced peer specialists. The Director will provide onsite supervision periodically during the training to ensure quality and adequate support; at all times two peer specialist instructors will be onsite. Appropriate supervision during employment is a standard The Network requires from organizations employing peers to work as specialists in the field. Any student enrolled in training is required to have a work plan and assigned supervisor upon graduation if employed. Ongoing professional development and support from fellow peers is also recommended and will be facilitated by the Colorado Chapter of International Peer Supporters (inaps) and through The Network s dedicated webpage to this professional organization.

4 Training Cost A national study conducted by the National Association of Peer Specialists (NAPS) identifies training costs on average to be anywhere from $1,500 per student to $2,500 per student for 40 course hours.1 Independent research into other state s training costs revealed that those estimates were a little high, and found $650 to be average for 40 hours. Cost for the training provided is largely a function of compensating the trainers for their time, a percentage of contractor time as well as a percentage of the Director s time for supervision and program coordination in addition to materials for instruction. Training costs vary based on the model of training and are determined at time of contract negotiation. As demand requires, but at least twice per year, pre-arranged trainings will take place and be opened up to the public. Individuals with the necessary requirements and background will be accepted to the program and the cost will be $1,100 per person including all materials and with a mid day meal provided on 8 hour training days. These training costs are for the Denver-metro area only. 1 Harrington, S. (2011) Recovery to Practice Situational Analysis. National Association of Peer Specialists- Recovery to Practice Project. Source: (.) Application Process Colorado Mental Wellness Network has developed an application process for students to ensure the student s success both in the program and upon graduation as they enter into the workforce. The process involves a phone interview with Jennifer Hill, Manager of Programs and Volunteers. Following these interviews, appropriate individuals are ed an application and given written guidance on obtaining an appropriate letter of reference to the program. Applicants are notified pending acceptance and asked to sign an expectation agreement as well to complete a pre-survey which helps to indicate their level of peer support knowledge and skills in accordance with the Colorado Core Competencies for Peer Support Specialists/Recovery Coaches/Family Advocates /Systems Navigators. Following acceptance applicants who are working with Department of Vocational Rehabilitation will collaborate with their individual counselors to have authorizations for the training in place prior to the start of training. Employers sponsoring a student and individuals paying for training are expected submit payment prior to the first day of the program. For more information or to start the application process, please contact Jennifer Hill, Manager of Programs and Volunteers or jennifer.thenetwork@gmail.com Real Skills~Real Support~Real Hope

5 Core Competencies for Colorado s Peer Support Specialists / Recovery Coaches and Family Advocates / Family Systems Navigators Knowledge of Mental Health/Substance Use Conditions and Treatments - Recognize signs and coping strategies, including the grief process - Know when to refer to a clinician - Know when to report to a supervisor - Understand interactions of physical and behavioral health Clients Rights/Confidentiality/Ethics/Roles - Understand scope of duties and role - Understand HIPAA / protected health information / confidentiality - Maintain professional boundaries - Recognize potential risks - Advocate when appropriate Interpersonal Skills - Communication - Diversity and cultural competency - Relationship development - Use guiding principles pertinent to population served - Model appropriate use of personal story and self-advocacy - Goal-setting, problem-solving, teamwork, & conflict resolution Resiliency, Recovery and Wellness - Understand principles and concepts of resiliency, recovery, and a wellness oriented lifestyle - Assist others with their own resiliency and recovery - Encourage options and choices - Understand impacts of labels, stigma, discrimination, and bullying - Understand person-centered resiliency and recovery planning for all ages and stages - Promote shared decision-making Resources - Knowledge of community resources and those specific to behavioral health and physical health - Help individuals and families recognize their natural supports * Knowledge of public education and special education system and other child-serving systems Self-care - Recognize when health may compromise the ability to work - Acknowledge that personal wellness is a primary responsibility - Set boundaries between work and personal life Teaching Skills - Demonstrate wellness and teach life skills - Encourage the development of natural supports - Assist people to find and use psycho-education materials Basic Work Competencies - Seek supervision and/or ask for direction - Accept feedback - Demonstrate conflict resolutions skills - Navigate complex work environments Trauma-Informed Support - Understand impact of trauma and responses to trauma - Demonstrate sensitivity and acceptance of individual experiences - Practice cultural sensitivity - Promote shared decision-making * Item pertains specifically to Family Advocates / Family Systems Navigators