What Is a Certified Family Peer Supporter?
An individual who has self-identified as the caregiver of a person with behavioral health challenges who has successfully navigated service systems for at least one year on behalf of the person and successfully met the requirements of certification to be a Certified Peer Recovery Supporter by virtue of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Family Peer Supporters in Ohio are also known as:
- parent support professionals
- navigators
- mentors
- family partners
- parent partners
How Does Someone Become a Certified Family Peer Supporter?
To obtain peer supporter certification, individuals will submit a complete and compliant application including the following documentation:
(a) Proof of a minimum of forty hours of department approved competency-based peer services TRAINING
(b) Hold a high school diploma, a general educational development certification, or similar secondary education from outside of the United States;
(c) Documentation of passing the department peer supporter exam, or an exam administered or designated by the department;
(d) Certified peer supporters will attest to having read and understood the code of ethics at initial certification
(e) The results of a bureau of criminal investigation and federal bureau of investigation criminal records check conducted within one year of submission.
What Do CFPS’s Offer?
Certified Family Peer Supporter services may include:
- Providing empathetic listening and emotional support
- Assisting families in navigating systems
- Supplying information about child‐serving systems, children’s behavioral health and development, and community resources
- Rendering advocacy support
- Encouraging self‐care activities
- Facilitating familial engagement with service providers
- Modeling collaboration between families and professionals
- Engaging in safety and care planning; exploring and eliminating barriers to care plan follow‐through
- Offering skill‐building for parents that enhances resiliency, communication, advocacy and other areas affecting the ability to maintain a child with complex needs in the home, school and community
- Sharing personal stories
- Providing HOPE
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For additional information contact:
Tameika Wright
tameika@namiohio.org
Office: 614-224-2700 Cell: 614-565-2323
My family was involved in a variety of services with our Family and Children First council, and wrap around community. Once I began to work with a parent peer supporter, I felt that I had a person in my corner who understood and worked just for me and my family. It made a huge difference. I learned how to be a voice for my family, she helped me educate myself so I had a knowledgeable voice at the systems of care table. She was compassionate and understanding because she had gone through exactly what I was going through.
