The Peer Role in Our Service System

Peer Specialists bring a unique and valuable perspective to social service work, but not everyone shares a common understanding of this specialized skill set. In this 90-minute workshop, attendees will review the purpose and values of Certified Peer Specialists; explore the impact they can have on program participants when their perspectives and skills are utilized effectively; discuss the intersection of recovery and professional boundaries, and explore creative ways to engage service recipients in the community. Attendees will also have the opportunity to discuss supervision, professional development, and experiences with and as certified peer specialists.

Schedule

1:45-2:00 PM | Virtual training room opens
2:00-2:10 PM | Welcome, introductions, & check-in activity
2:10-2:50 PM | Purpose, values, & core competencies 
2:50-3:00 PM | Break
3:00-3:15 PM | Boundaries
3:15-3:30 PM | Creative engagement
3:30-3:45 PM | Review, Q&A

Learning objectives
When attendees return to the workplace, they will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and values of Certified Peer Specialists
• Identify the tension where recovery and boundaries interact 
• Describe the benefits of having Certified Peer Specialists as a treatment team members
• Share unique and creative approaches to engaging service recipients in the community"

Target Audience: Certified Peer Specialists, Certified Recovery Specialists, individuals with lived experience, helping professionals with direct client contact, clinical supervisors, and agency administrators looking to better leverage the unique knowledge and expertise of peers.
Social Work Practice Level: This course is appropriate for beginner and intermediate BSW/ MSW learners.
Course Delivery Format: Live webinar
Interactivity: This course will offer real-time polling, group discussion prompts, and 15 minutes of Q&A time.
Social Work Continuing Education Credit: 1.5 CE Credits*
Fees: $15 general registration; additional $5 for registration with social work CE credit.

Registration includes access to the live event and recording, PDF of slides, and relevant training tip sheets/resources.

Session Facilitators:
 

Ron Carvin, CPS (he/him) has been a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) since 2007 and joined Pathways to Housing PA’s poly-substance team in late 2020. Before coming to Pathways, Ron worked as a CPS on a Mobile Team in Arizona for five years and subsequently joined The Wedge Recovery Center as a Community Integration Specialist. Working at Pathways brings Ron a sense of purpose and efficacy, and he enjoys providing services in an environment where he is treated with dignity and respect. Practicing mindfulness and the four pillars of transformation (outreach, engagement, relationships, and empowerment) allows Ron to be more efficient in targeting the specific needs of our participants. In his spare time, Ron teaches tennis and prioritizes maintaining connections with his recovery community.

Ryan Villagran, LSW (he/they) joined Housing First University in June 2021 as a Training Specialist. Ryan holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University with a concentration in Communities & Policy. His clinical background includes delivering psychiatric rehabilitation services in the mental health recovery model at a Community Integrated Recovery Center. Ryan also developed and coordinated a training program in a university setting for social workers serving transitional-aged youth and later taught a Human Behavior in the Social Environment course for graduate social work students. Ryan is involved in organizing efforts around ending mass incarceration and believes in the power of our collective imagination to dream of a better future centered around the most vulnerable members of our community.

Rob Wetherington, MA (he/him) joined Pathways to Housing PA in 2012 to develop art programming to foster connections between staff and participants. Having spent more than fifteen years in homeless services both as an employee and volunteer, Rob’s emphasis has been to help people re-imagine their lives through the arts, peer support, and clinical services. Rob has helped to build the Community Inclusion and Advocacy Department at Pathways, which acts as a conduit to community resources and strives to support participants living in the community like everyone else. Partnering with the clinical teams, the department assesses activities participants want to explore and bridges participants to the community. Rob earned a BFA in Art Education from Old Dominion University and an MA in Urban Studies at Eastern University.

ACE approval statement: Housing First University: a program of Pathways to Housing PA, provider #1759, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 01/12/2022 – 01/12/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 general continuing education credits.

Housing First University, a program of Pathways to Housing PA, can provide continuing education credits to licensed social workers in 48 of the 50 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces. Due to current regulations, CE credits cannot be offered to social workers in the states of New Jersey or New York. If you are not a Licensed Social Worker, please check with your board of accreditation to ensure this training meets your licensing needs.