General Information
What is peer support?
Peer support involves emotional and practical non-clinical support between people who share a common experience, such as a mental health or substance use health challenge or illness.
What is formalized peer support?
Having formalized peer support experience means one has experience supporting peers in a manner that is consistent with the Peer Support Canada values and principles of practice as outlined in the Certification Handbook and has achieved an awareness of how to use their skills and abilities in real situations. It involves intentionally pulling from personal lived and living experiences to support others with similar experiences. Formalized peer support experience involves prior training or some type of preparation, supervision, and job titles such as “peer supporter,” “peer specialist,” “peer mentor,” or “workplace peer supporter.”
To qualify for full certification, an applicant must demonstrate they have acquired 200 hours or more of formalized peer support experience. If they do not meet this requirement but meet all other requirements, they will be offered provisional certification (see more information on provisional certification below).
Is certification a training program?
Peer Support Canada Certification is not a training program. Rather, it is an assessment of a peer supporter’s demonstration of the National Standards of Practice. It is recommended that candidates interested in the Peer Support Canada Certification Program complete peer support training prior to applying for certification.
What is peer support certification?
Peer Support Canada offers certification for peer supporters and family peer supporters. Peer support certification is a confirmation of one’s knowledge, skills, and experience as a peer supporter. Certification verifies one’s alignment with the nationally endorsed Standards of Practice and is recognized across Canada. The National Standards of Practice consist of the lived experience, knowledge, competencies, formalized peer support delivery experience, and Code of Conduct requirements to effectively provide peer support services with due care and skill in a variety of settings. For more information about the certification program, please see the Certification Handbook.
What is the value of Peer Support Canada Certification?
- Certification helps to ensure that peer support services are delivered consistently across the country (consistent in adherence to Standards, and yet flexible in program development and delivery) which helps to improve the quality of service delivered and increases the amount of trust from service users.
- Certification with Peer Support Canada is an opportunity for peer supporters to validate their knowledge, experience, and competencies are in alignment with the National Standards of Practice.
- Certification aims to bolster one’s respect and legitimacy in the peer support field. A Certified Peer Supporter may feel more equipped to be an advocate and champion of peer support, its value and scope.
- Peer Support Canada Certification is valid across all Canadian provinces and territories.
- Peer Support Canada Certification increases the amount of respect and trust from governmental bodies and other funders, partner organizations and colleagues of peer supporters and peers.
- Having certified peer supporters within multi-disciplinary teams helps to support systems-level change to oppressive practices occurring within the healthcare system and other systems.
Is Peer Support Canada Certification valid in all provinces and territories across Canada? How is certification recognized?
- Yes, certification is valid across all provinces and territories of Canada.
- Those who become certified receive a certificate where they are awarded the designation of either Certified Peer Supporter (CPS) or Certified Family Peer Supporter (CFPS).
- As support for national peer supporter certification grows, more and more organizations that employ peer supporters recognize Peer Support Canada Certification as an asset.
- While other organizations offer certificates of completion for peer support training programs, the Peer Support Canada Certification Program is the only nationally recognized and established assessment program within Canada.
I work as a supervisor of peer supporters. Why might it be a good idea to sponsor my staff through certification?
- Supervisors can be assured that, when certification with Peer Support Canada is awarded, their peer support staff member has been evaluated for, and has demonstrated, the knowledge, experience, and competencies that are in alignment with the National Standards of Practice.
- Certification helps to ensure that peer support services are delivered consistently across the country (consistent in adherence to Standards, and yet flexible in program development and delivery) which helps to improve the quality of service delivered and increases the amount of trust from service users.
- Peer Support Canada Certification increases the amount of respect and trust from governmental bodies and other funders, partner organizations, colleagues of peer supporters and peers.
- Having certified peer supporters within multi-disciplinary teams helps to support systems-level change to oppressive practices occurring within the healthcare system and other systems.
Can I, as an organization, pay for my staff to go through peer support certification? Can I pay for a group of candidates at once?
Yes, your organization can pay for certification application and assessment credits that you would then allocate amongst staff members. If you would like to purchase any certification credits, please email [email protected] for more information. As processing these payments can take some time, we recommend organizations ask interested staff members to hold off on starting an application until the payment has been received and the credits have been issued.
Please note there are currently no group rates available for certification.
What is the difference between peer support and family peer support certification types?
Those with personal experience with a significant wellness related challenge support others who are also personally experiencing a wellness related challenge, and family members/supporters* of someone coping with a wellness related challenge support other family members/supporters. Having lived experience with both brings value to this work, but the supporter will likely identify with one stream more than the other. Peer Support Canada recommends candidates to pursue the certification that they most heavily identify with and/or are most readily practicing in.
The certification program review focused on making the family certification more tailored to its stream. As such, the Knowledge Assessment and Competency Assessment include more family peer support-oriented questions.
*Please note the term “family” is used to describe all those who are within a person’s circle of support.allocate
Pre-Application Questions
- We strongly recommend applying for certification when you feel prepared to allocate approximately 2 hours within the next few weeks to submit the application, and when you feel prepared to set aside 10-15 hours within the next 3-4 months to complete the certification assessment process.
- We strongly recommend only applying for certification once you feel prepared to write the written knowledge assessment and complete the verbal competency assessment. To prepare for certification ahead of applying, we recommend reading through the National Standards of Practice and Certification Handbook.
- The eligibility requirements to be accepted to the certification program include:
- Having lived and/or living experience with a significant wellness related challenge (peer stream), or a family member/loved one with a significant wellness related challenge (family stream).
- Be on a path of recovery and wellness.
- Demonstrate a readiness to support others.
- Possess values aligned with the Peer Support Canada Code of Conduct.
- Have experience meeting the Standards of Practice.
- Have at least 200 hours of providing formalized peer support (for full certification).
- If you would like to apply for full certification (as opposed to provisional certification), then we recommend you apply once you are certain that you have at least 200 hours of formalized peer support service provision experience. See above for our definition of formalized peer support.
Full certification is offered to applicants who have at least 200 hours of formalized peer support experience (please see above for definition of formalized peer support). This means that upon successful completion of the assessment, the candidate will be awarded a certificate of completion.
Provisional certification is for applicants who meet all requirements other than the 200 hours of formalized peer support experience. We have decided to provide this option for folks who may be looking to enter the field of peer support. With provisional certification, upon successful completion of the assessment, the candidate is awarded a letter attesting to their completion of the provisional requirements and will be awarded full certification and an accompanying certificate if they acquire 200 hours of formalized peer support experience within a year of being awarded the provisional certificate. See the Certification Handbook for more details.
What is Peer Support Canada’s privacy policy?Currently, Peer Support Canada exists as a program of CMHA National. We therefore abide by CMHA National’s privacy policy.
What does the PSC Certification Program look like?- All candidates must create a PSC Participant Profile to apply for certification.
- Once a profile is created, candidates are asked to complete a series of questions as part of their application. Once submitted, PSC staff review the application and assess whether they meet the eligibility requirements. If they meet eligibility requirements, references are contacted, and the candidate is asked to complete a self-assessment. At this stage, it is also evaluated whether the candidate has 200 hours of formalized peer support experience to be accepted for full certification. If they do not have the 200-hour requirement and meet all other requirements, they can then be accepted for provisional certification.
- Candidates whose application is accepted then move on to scheduling and completing their written Knowledge Assessment (an online exam, written alongside other candidates and PSC staff via Zoom, to assess the candidate’s demonstration of the knowledge standard), and their verbal Competency Assessment (a one-to-one conversation, with a PSC staff member, to evaluate whether the candidate demonstrates the required competency standard).
- PSC staff evaluate the results of the Knowledge Assessment and the Competency Assessment holistically and determine whether the candidate has adequately demonstrated meeting the Standards of Practice.
Please see the Certification Handbook for details on how to prepare for the Knowledge Assessment and Competency Assessment.
What happens if I fail the assessment?Candidates who fail the assessment will receive an email from PSC staff indicating that they have not passed, sharing their assessment results, and providing suggested guidance on next steps if the person wishes to try again at a later date.
See also details on our formal appeals process in the Certification Handbook.
Will I be refunded if my application is declined or if I fail the assessment?As organizational resources are used to process applications and assessments, we are unable to issue refunds to unsuccessful applicants/candidates.
2023 Update
- To improve our user experience of the certification program and to support the access to future PSC programs, we have created an online portal. All certification activity is done via this portal.
- The updated certification program involves an application, self-assessment, reference checks, a written knowledge assessment, and a verbal competency assessment.
- The Knowledge Assessment and Competency Assessment for family peer support candidates will be more tailored to the unique aspects of family peer support, while still remaining grounded in the standards.
- The way we will assess candidates’ demonstration of the competency standard has changed – instead of completing a 5 to 20 week practicum, we will be facilitating competency assessment discussions where the candidate and PSC Staff virtually meet to discuss the candidate’s personal experience of delivering peer support (involving scenario-based questions and elaborating on previous or current peer support experiences). There are a few reasons for making this change, including:
- Receiving feedback from candidates that the practicum component seemed to discredit previous peer support experience and/or training.
- Also receiving feedback that the practicum element seems more appropriate for a training program, not an assessment program.
- The timelines and the fees associated with the application and assessment have also changed. The process will take less time to complete, and the fees have decreased.
- An appeals process was also introduced, as well as a solicited feedback channel for applicants/candidates to tell us about their experience of navigating the PSC Certification Program. We ask for accessibility needs in our application, to provide us and candidates an opportunity to mitigate potential barriers of access to the program.
- All of these changes took place to ensure that the certification program is aligned with the goals outlined in the strategic plan, and to make sure that this program fits with the rest of the services that PSC will be offering. Our goal is to ensure that the certification program considers equity, anti-racist and anti-oppressive principles, centres the values of peer support, is responsive to the evolving needs of peer supporters and organizations, and that it maintains fidelity to the original nationally endorsed Standards of Practice.
- This review was informed by the results of a national survey, consultation from the Certification Review Committee, and gathered feedback from candidates over the years.
Mentor certification is currently on pause. We will be re-offering mentor certification as we expand additional Peer Support Canada programming. Please stay tuned to our website or sign up for our mailing list to stay in touch. All past mentor certifications retain their complete value and validity.
I received certification ahead of the updates that happened in September 2023. Is my certification still valid?Yes. All previously earned certifications with Peer Support Canada (PSC) or Peer Support Accreditation and Certification of Canada (PSACC) will be honoured and valued equivalently to those who go through the updated certification program.
Logistical Questions
What is the cost of Peer Support Canada Certification?
The fees for certification are broken down into two payments:
Application Fee: $200.00
Assessment Fee: $1000.00
These fees are non-refundable. There is no HST associated with these costs.
How do I pay for certification?
We request payment by credit card through the online portal. Payment is requested for the $200 application fee at the end of the online application (in order to submit the application) and the $1000 assessment fee is requested once the application is accepted (prior to booking the knowledge and competency assessments). If you would like to request an alternative payment method, such as cheque or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), please submit a request to [email protected] before starting your application.
Are there any discounts or bursaries available for Peer Support Canada Certification?
As a nonprofit organization, Peer Support Canada currently does not have the capacity to offer any discounts or bursaries for peer supporter certification. We are keen to work with funders to ensure that equity-seeking populations can access subsidized certification with Peer Support Canada. We invite folks interested in certification to explore organizations in your communities who have been able to secure funding to certify their peer supporters.
How long does the certification program take?
It is anticipated that the certification program will require 10 to 15 hours in total to complete and can be completed within 3-4 months. The certification program is self-paced within a firm one-year time frame, and applicants/candidates are responsible for keeping track of the required steps to complete the application and assessment.