Course Overview (Core Competencies: 1.7; 1.11; 3.3)
This course introduces you to the profession of peer support, including scope of practice; core competencies; ethics and boundaries; and the processes, key concepts, skills, and tools of the practice. This course provides an introductory, entry-level understanding of peer support as practiced across a wide range of services and programs. Upon completion, many participants will go on to pass the required exam to become a certified peer specialist. Upon gaining employment in the field, an agency may provide training that is more specialized. Drawing upon best practices in adult learning, this course features a wide range of learning activities, such as sharing in pairs; small group and large group discussions; self-reflection and brief writing activities; round-robin readings; demonstrations; and most importantly, activities focused on developing, practicing, and refining the skills of peer support. Fundamental processes and skills are introduced early in the course and then layered continually into subsequent sections for specific application and practice. You are encouraged to take notes. Note taking is useful because it allows you to reference important learning moments later that can inform your practice in the field. Learning also happens outside of the classroom. You are expected to engage in readings, access resources, and complete homework assignments as part of the learning process. Scope of the course Peer support is a broad practice rooted in various communities, settings, and cultures. Peer support is also not a new practice. Peer support has existed as long as humans have been in community with one another, supporting each other through adversity while relating over common experiences. Not every approach to peer support is professional in nature. Some people or communities engaging in peer support seek certification or professionalization of relational ways of being with and supporting others. This course presents the practice of peer support as it is recognized for the purpose of state certification in Wisconsin. It does not seek to invalidate other approaches or forms of peer support, even when those approaches go by other names.
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