CPS-P

Parent Certified Peer Specialist

Candidates must be the parent or legal guardian of a child or adult living with a mental

illness, substance use and/or co-occurring diagnosis a mental health condition must be the

primary diagnosis.

 Provide a short paragraph of your lived experience making sure you address these areas:

1. Raising a child who has a Serious Emotional Disorder (SED), substance use disorder

(SUD) or Co-Occurring Disorder

 (This excludes youth with autism spectrum disorder,

unless there is also a co-occurring SED, SUD diagnosis)

2. Experience navigating & accessing complex public health & child service systems

3. An attestation that you are serving in a parental role as either:

1) The biological parent and caregiver for a child living with a SED, SUD or co-occurring

diagnosis

2) The legal and permanent guardian for a child living with an SED, SUD or co-occurring

diagnosis for a least 2 years (please provide documentation). * This excludes foster

parents

CPS-Y

Youth Certified Peer Specialist 

Is an individual who is a

young adult, ages 18 through age 26, with lived experience living with a

mental health or substance use condition or both and who has received

behavioral health services as a youth and is willing and able to self-identify

as a person living with a behavioral health condition and is prepared to use

that experience in helping other youth and young adults living with similar

behavioral health conditions

The Youth CPS-Y offers emotional support, shares knowledge, and works

with individuals to identify meaningful connections and tools that

contribute to wellness/resiliency/recovery.

Enrollees must meet the lived experience expectations below:

• Be 18-26 years of age (provide a copy of a valid Georgia ID); and

• Have a mental health (MH) condition, substance use disorder

(SUD), or a co-occurring diagnosis; and a strong desire to

identify themselves as a person living with a mental illness or

substance use diagnosis; and

• Be able/willing to actively seek and manage your own

appropriate care; and

• Be able to share their own personal story in a safe and

appropriate way; and

• Must be well grounded in recovery wellness; and

• One year between diagnosis and application to training; and/or

• If the individual has a substance use condition, there must be

one year continuous abstinent from substance use; and

• Have a high school diploma or GED; provide a copy of these

documents; and

• Provide (2) letters of reference This cannot be a family member

(Please include contact information)

(Please email your information [email protected] and put in subject CPS-P or CPS-Y)