for Facilitators
Working with Peer Learners
We welcome you as a facilitator working with peer learners to the Where We Are At provincial peer support worker (PSW) training curriculum. Our goal throughout this training curriculum is to optimize choice and autonomy for facilitators and the peers they’re working alongside. Your group might decide they’d like to complete all 16 modules while working toward a certificate or you might have a specific project that your organization needs to train for, like an Overdose Prevention Site, Family Peer Support project or gender affirmation clinic. In this case, you might want to create your own customized training program by mixing and matching some of the relevant individual training modules with other learning resources on the site to suit your own interests.
Regardless of how you choose to engage with the curriculum, the learning experience of your group will be improved by knowing in advance what their learning goals are. Your goal might be to add to your group’s current knowledge of peer support work by focusing on particular learning modules or perhaps the peers you’re working with are just beginning their journey toward becoming peer support workers, and you’ll take them through the full course.
Whether you choose to work through the entire curriculum or to customize your own program, we’ve provided you with all the tools you will need to meet your learning objectives. We suggest beginning your learning plan for your group by consulting the Facilitators Guide, reviewing the module guide and then consulting with your peers to build a program that meets everyone’s needs.
The Where We Are At provincial peer support worker training curriculum is designed to be offered as online learning, in person or a hybrid approach that mixes self-directed online learning and review with in-person workshops and discussion.
We consider all of this curriculum to be living knowledge, so challenge this material, ask tough questions and always incorporate the lived experience of your team and the community you serve into how you deliver this training.
courses
Employers Guide to Supporting & Engaging Peer Workers (1 module)
The Employers Guide to Supporting & Engaging Peer Workers explores the role and needs of peer support workers. Peer support workers can be found in every facet of mental health and substance use services and provide invaluable care and advocacy to a range of communities and populations.
Provincial Peer Support Worker Training Curriculum (16 modules)
The provincial peer support worker (PSW) training curriculum is made up of 16 individual training modules meant to provide a strong foundation for those who are beginning their journey toward becoming a peer support worker, as well as providing opportunities for those already working as PSW’s to deepen and expand their knowledge.
The curriculum covers a wide range of topics chosen by peer support workers from across the province. Topics include mental health, understanding boundaries, connection and communication, supporting someone who uses substances and much more – all created in direct consultation with peer support workers.
“I was never given any core values to have as a guide interacting with those I worked with. I only had my own values to rely on. It takes the onus off me knowing that I have a set of standards that are the same across the board.”
F.D., Peer Worker
