Georgia Parent Support Network CPS-P and CPS-Y Certificate Reactivation Policy

Maintaining the CPS certification is crucial for professionals working within the behavioral health system, as it signifies a commitment to upholding industry standards, staying current with advancements, and continuously refining skills. Beyond strengthening professional credibility and enhancing career prospects, active certification ensures legal and regulatory compliance in the professional field of peer support. Additionally, ongoing certification often facilitates access to valuable networking opportunities and fosters a culture of lifelong learning, contributing to personal and professional growth. Therefore, the significance of maintaining certification extends far beyond individual achievement, benefiting both professionals and the industries they serve. To uphold the professional and ethical standards of a Certified Peer Specialist, the Georgia Parent Support Network has made changes in their recredentialing and continuing education policies.

  1. Record keeping is the responsibility of the certified professional. All Certified Peer Specialists should track the number of CEUs they have attained and submit their CEUs in a timely manner. Keep copies of everything submitted.
  2. Education and training for recertification must be completed on an annual basis; twelve hours are required. One of these must be an Ethics class.
  3. Education is defined as formal, structured instruction in the form of workshops, seminars, conferences, training, in-services, and distant learning/online courses (excluding new hire employee training)
  4. All qualifying Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for the year must be obtained by December 31st.
  5. Education and/or training not properly verified by GPSN will not be accepted for CEUs. The Certificate and letter of attendance must include date of training, number of hours attended, title of training, sponsoring organization, and your name.

    Here is a list of approved training courses, and organizations that GPSN will accept Continuing Education Units for CPS-P and CPS-Y.

  6. All Certified Peer Specialist, beginning the year after your original certification, all CPS- P & Y are required to have a minimum of 12 continuing education units (CEUs) per calendar year. (For example: All qualifying CEUs for 2025 must be earned between January 1st and December 31st, 2026)
  7. All Certified Peer Specialists must attend one (1) approved Ethics training annually.
  8. Six CEUs for the year must be earned from a GPSN-sponsored conference, training, and/or webinar.
  9. GPSN will accept up to 6 CEUs from other trainings, webinars, conferences, and agencies, such as Georgia Council for Recovery, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, and other approved agencies.
    • CEUs from unapproved training vendors must be reviewed by the Chief of Peer Services Operations and need to be preapproved, they can be submitted via the following: Outside Training Form for CEU Approval
  10. CEUs earned in a calendar year may not roll over into another calendar year.
  11. Certifications will become inactive if CEUs have not been completed and submitted in any year after a CPS has successfully passed their credential exam.
  12. CEUs must be submitted by December 31st for each calendar year, to avoid late fees.
  13. If a CPS-Parent (CPS-P) or CPS-Youth (CPS-Y) does not submit their CEUs by February 1st, they will be placed on an inactive status.
  14. Once placed on an inactive status, the CPS-P or CPS-Y is required to submit a reactivation application with a $100 reactivation fee and any other subsequent fees. Click here for instructions on how to reactive your CPS-P or CPS-Y status.
  15. Any CPS-P or CPS-Y who remains inactive for longer than 2 years must go through CPS-P or CPS-Y recertification training. Click here for a recertification training application.
  16. All approved CEUs must be submitted through our web portal, which can be accessed through this link: CPS Continuing Education Submission Portal.

Please note: GPSN will not accept any CEUs that have been submitted via email or any method other than the portal outlined above.