Wisconsin Peer Specialist Certification

Take your Peer Specialist Certification exam electronically at several sites around the state through UWM’s School of Continuing Education.

Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) are important members of mental health recovery teams for service recipients. They engage and encourage recipients by promoting wellness, independent living and self-direction. Focusing on recovery, specialists work to serve recipients and to enhance their skills to meet chosen goals.

Wisconsin CPS work with the service recipient as recovery models because they self-identify as having mental illness and/or substance use disorder and have made substantial progress in their recovery. Peer Specialists are considered to be crucial to our nation’s mental health and substance use disorder transformation and are currently employed in independent living centers, hospitals, clinics and many other mental health and/or substance use disorder services and support areas. By becoming a Wisconsin CPS, you will be “igniting recovery” for service recipients.

COVID-19 Exam Considerations Update:
Anyone registered for the May 5 CPPS exam or April 1 and May 13 CPS, the exam will be offered online. If you choose not to take the exam online you can reschedule for September exam dates. All payments will be transferred.

Upcoming Peer Specialist Trainings

Assessments/Exams Schedules
150 applications maximum per exam date.

Certification Peer Specialist assessments/exams are scheduled for the following dates:

May 13, 2020: 8:30am, 11:30am or 2:30pm. Due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, the Peer Specialist assessment that was scheduled for April 1 and May 13 will be offered online. You may transfer to September 30 exam. All payments will be transferred.
(Application deadline must be postmarked by April 22, 2020)

September 30, 2020: 8:30am, 11:30am or 2:30pm
(Application deadline must be postmarked by September 9, 2020)

Certification Parent Peer Specialist assessments/exams are scheduled for the following dates:

March 25, 2020:  8:30am, 11:30am or 2:30pm. Rescheduled to May 6
Due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, the Parent Peer Specialist assessment that is scheduled for May 6 will be offered online. If you choose not to take the exam at that date you may reschedule to September 16 exam. All payments will be transferred.
(Application deadline was March 4, 2020)

September 16, 2020: 8:30am, 11:30am or 2:30pm
(Application deadline must be postmarked by August 26, 2020)

An email will be sent out one week prior to the exam date to inform applicants of assigned exam time.