• Communicating scheduling needs, including any changes to availability. • Advocating for employer support around professional development and continuing education (examples: having an employer pay for a conference registration, bringing training opportunities to the entire team, or making sure there is access to training specific to a peer lens). • Negotiating a living wage reflective of one’s role, experience, training, and other assets to an organization (example: bilingualism). • Engaging employers in conversation and requesting action when it comes to issues of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. • Establishing boundaries around one’s personal recovery. The employer’s role is not to oversee its employees’ recovery. • Requesting reasonable accommodations as guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Advocating for the certified peer specialist role The Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist Scope of Practice identifies the many roles for certified peer specialists, with which an employing agency’s leadership or supervisor may be unfamiliar. Advocacy and education are sometimes needed in these areas: • General information about the certified peer specialist role, including review of key documents (core competencies, scope of practice, code of ethics) • Recognition of the contributions and value that the certified peer specialist offers to the agency, team, and participants of services • Supervision that is tailored to the unique role of a certified peer specialist—best practice shows that certified peer specialists are best supervised by experienced certified peer specialists • Transparent conversations about workload that honors the importance of each peer relationship as well as the well-being of certified peer specialists • Clear and accurate job descriptions that align with the role and day-to-day work expectations • Understanding that certified peer specialists are trained to provide professional services of offering peer support. • Understanding that certified peer specialists are not mandated reporters by virtue of completing this course • Recognizing that the certified peer specialist role is to be resource rich and to explore options in a collaborative way with peers
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