Peer Support Professional Training FAQ

We are looking for applicants who are passionate in providing support to others in their recovery and whose main career goal is to become a Peer Support Professional. They must be someone with lived experience with mental health conditions, substance use conditions, and/or trauma. They must also have had enough recovery/wellness time that they feel they are prepared to focus on assisting others. Please refer to our application requirements online to make sure you meet the additional requirements listed. Applicants must also be able to attend all sessions of the training and must have basic computer skills to complete assignments outside of class.

No. Acceptance to our training has become competitive due to a limited number of slots available and increased interest. We will carefully look at applications and references in order to select those who seem like the best fit. If accepted you will be notified around 4 weeks after the application deadline.

If we are unable to accommodate you in the session you applied for, you may be put on a waitlist for that training or you can be considered for another training in the future. We will be sure to contact you to discuss what option would work best for you.

If your application was submitted less than a year ago, you do not need to reapply. You can simply email our Recovery Program Coordinator to let us know you’d like to be considered for a particular training.

If your application was submitted more than a year ago, you will need to reapply. You can access our application at the bottom of our Apply Page.

No, we do not accept any applications after the cut-off date for that specific training. If you miss the cut-off for one training, you are welcome to apply for the next available training.

We are looking for someone who can attest to your interactions with others as well as your professional conduct. Reference writers should be able to speak to traits like empathy, responsibility, interpersonal skills, communication skills, etc. If a previous employer, coworker, volunteer supervisor, or other individual in your life (other than a service provider or family member) can speak to those abilities, then they could serve as your reference.

We will be reaching out to everyone who has applied around 2 – 3 weeks after the application deadline. If you haven’t received an email from us (and there isn’t an email in your spam folder) please reach out to our Recovery Program Coordinator.

The total cost of the training is $450. A portion of that cost will serve as a non-refundable deposit in order to hold your place in class once you have been accepted.

There is no cost to apply. You will only be asked to pay for your tuition once you have been accepted into the training.

No. You must be accepted first. Once accepted, you will be asked to pay the tuition fees in order to hold your spot in the training.

We do not have scholarships available at this time, however we can make payment arrangements. If you need a payment arrangement, please reach out to our Recovery Program Coordinator to discuss options.

Our training application has a section at the end that asks for the contact information of whatever organization is sponsoring your tuition. Be sure to fill out this section completely before submitting or email our Recovery Program Coordinator if this information changes. If accepted, we will reach out to the contact you’ve listed to arrange the invoice to be sent to them.

Once accepted, we will send out a digital invoice with a link to pay for the training tuition through QuickBooks.

No. At this time we are not planning on hosting any in-person trainings.

The format of this training requires that you have consistent access to a computer and cannot be completed successfully on a smartphone or tablet. If you have any question questions about this requirement, please contact our Recovery Program Coordinator.

No. Full attendance and timely completion of all classwork is required in order to continue the training and receive a certificate. Unlike a webinar or a lecture series, we ask that during class all participants remain fully focused and actively participate.

If you need to miss a portion of the training or drop out of the training due to an emergency, please let us know as soon as possible and we will get in touch with you to discuss your options moving forward.

No. While we train and prepare individuals for employment as Peer Support Professionals, we do not employ/pay applicants during training, nor do we employ them upon graduation. We do email graduates when we are notified of opportunities but securing a job after graduation is up to you.

No, we cannot guarantee anyone a job upon completion of our training. This training provides the baseline of information you need to begin work. It covers all the core competencies for PSP defined by Colorado and SAMHSA, as well as the IC&RC Domains and Indicators. You will be in a good position to find a job, but that will be up to you. If you qualify for Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) services, they may be able to help as well.

Online job boards like Indeed or The Colorado Nonprofit Association are great places to start. You can also reach out to organizations you’d like to work or volunteer with and see if they have any positions available that match up with the Peer Support Professional role.

Depending on the organization you work for and the state you are credentialed in, Peer Support Professionals can be referred to by some of the names listed above. Specific job duties may vary between organizations but if the ethical guidelines are followed, the roles are very similar.

This depends on the organization you would like to work for and the nature of your criminal record. We recommend that you reach out to the employer you would like to work for and ask them what their policy is on hiring those with a record.

We strongly recommend that anyone working as a Peer Support Professional receive training, whether it is with CMWN or another organization. While there are organizations that will hire people without any training, we don’t recommend that as the best course of action.

No. Many employers do not require the credential and those that do will usually ask you to get it after you’ve been working for a period of time. It’s not possible to take the credentialing exam until you have worked a certain number of hours. If you have a specific organization in mind for employment, we suggest you reach out and ask if they require the credential. (Note: Most employers in Colorado do not require the credential.)

No. Our training fulfills the training requirements to sit for the IC&RC credentialing exam, however there are other steps to obtaining the credential like completing work hours and supervision hours. (Note: Many employers in Colorado do not require the credential.)

The CMWN PSP training is an educational program focused on core competencies for new Peer Support Professionals. This includes ethics, role integrity, trauma-informed care, self-care, and communication skills. Our training prepares you to begin work, whether you decide to apply for the IC&RC credential or not. The IC&RC credential certifies a certain level of skill as a PSP. Applicants for the credential must have completed training, a certain number of hours of employment or volunteer time, and a certain number of supervised time. They must also pass the credentialing exam. The credential is not awarded through CMWN.

If you have already been trained as a Peer Support Professional, you do not need to take our training in order to find employment. If you are interested in reciprocity, you will need to contact the Colorado Providers Association (COPA) who currently is the only organization offering a credential in Colorado. However, if for whatever reason you have not met the training requirements needed in order to get your credential, please reach out to our Program Coordinator or our Recovery Education Director to see if you need this training.