For initial Family Peer Specialist certification, 88 hours of training in the last 5 years that spans the 5 core competencies is required. For re-certification, 44 hours are required. All training must be documented on our Training Documentation Form. 

 

For new applicants, it is advised to review this Training Documentation Example Form to understand how to record the training descriptions and learnings. For re-certification, we advise that you keep a copy of our Training Documentation Form on your computer to record descriptions and learnings from trainings as you take them.

 

You can get up to 16 hours of trainings in just three days by attending our Annual Conference in November. Sign up for our e-mail list to get reminders about conference registration.

 

Options for Trainings

Note that the National Federation of Families does not endorse any specific training provided by any of the following organizations. Trainings that meet the requirements for national certification directly relate to the family peer support work of a Family Peer Specialist. Administrative and safety trainings do not usually qualify towards the 88 hours for initial certification or the 44 hours for recertification.

 

• Find local, in-person trainings by contacting your nearest NFF Affiliate

• NFF Trainings: Family Engagement in Evaluation of Mental Health Services, Self-Care for Parents, Caregivers, and Family Members, and Partnering with Families in Behavioral Health

• National Family Peer Support Technical Assistance Center recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

• Selections from SAMHSA’s HealtheKnowledge platform for self-paced courses and training programs

• Select trainings from the following SAMHSA-funded training and technical assistance centers:

  • National Training & Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, & Family Mental Health recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

  • National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare videos and webinars and Child Welfare Training Toolkit

  • Peer Recovery Center of Excellence recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

  • Mental Health Technology Transfer Center recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

  • Prevention Technology Transfer Center recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

  • Addiction Technology Transfer Center recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

  • Suicide Prevention Resource Center trainings

  • Center of Excellence for LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity trainings

  • African American Behavioral Health recorded, on-demand trainings and live trainings

  • Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families Technical Assistance Center trainings

 

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