Romulus- The Peer Difference: Turning Lived Experience into Purposeful Practice

Training Overview:

Lived experience is the foundation of peer support, but lived experience alone does not automatically translate into effective peer practice. This training examines how Certified Peer Support Specialists and Peer Recovery Coaches can intentionally transform their personal experiences into ethical, purposeful, and recovery-oriented peer support.

Participants will explore intentional self-disclosure, professional boundaries, mutuality, hope, person-centered communication, cultural humility, trauma-informed practice, and the importance of maintaining the unique identity of peer support. Through discussion, reflection, and skill-building activities, participants will develop tools for determining when, why, and how lived experience should be used to strengthen the peer relationship.

Training Objectives:

• Differentiate lived experience from purposeful peer practice and explain how personal recovery experiences can be translated into effective peer-support interventions.
• Apply intentional self-disclosure strategies by determining when sharing personal experience benefits the individual receiving services and when it should be limited or avoided.
• Demonstrate recovery-oriented communication skills that promote hope, autonomy, self-determination, mutuality, and individual choice.
• Recognize and maintain appropriate peer-role boundaries while preserving relational authenticity.
• Identify personal biases, triggers, and assumptions and utilize self-awareness to strengthen culturally responsive and trauma-informed practice.
• Articulate the value of the peer workforce to employers and interdisciplinary teams.

Trainer:

Dr. Kevin Scott is an honorably discharged decorated Marine Veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude) and a Master of Science, both in Criminal Justice from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. He earned a doctorate in Community Counseling and Care specializing in Traumatology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Dr. Scott also maintains national memberships and state certifications across several mental health and professional organizations, including Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health Executive Leadership Development, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NACDP), Commission on Correctional Healthcare Professional (CCHP), and Commission on Correctional Healthcare Professional–Mental Health (CCHP-MH).

Eligible for 6.5 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Continuing Education credits.

Coffee and lunch will be served at this training.

Registration: Please register below (on this site) using a credit or debit card, which is the quickest way to confirm your attendance.

ONLY if you need to pay by check, please complete this form (click here) and email it to: registration@mipeers.org. Do not use this form if you are paying by credit/debit card. Please note that this form takes up to 5 business days for processing, and placement is not assured until you receive a confirmation of your registration.

Cancellation Policy: Registrations may be transferred to another employee of the same agency upon written request to registration@mipeers.org. Cancellations must be received in writing at least 7 days prior to the date of the training. Failure to cancel registration within the allotted time will result in registration fees being forfeited. For questions, e-mail registration@mipeers.org.

Attendance Policy: You must attend the entire training. If you are more than 10 minutes late you will not be allowed to attend as part of the CE requirements. Breaks are built into the training schedule. Participants who miss more than 10 minutes of the training outside of scheduled breaks will not receive CE credit. Attendees must follow the training guidelines.