Working as a Peer Provider: How to Re-Certify

If you choose to work as a Peer Provider, you will need to get certified according to the state you intend to work in. While the certification process varies depending on the state, chances are you may need to re-certify at some point in your career. If you don’t have experience, this process might be tricky to navigate. In the state of Minnesota alone, there are currently 346 Peer Providers who have a lapsed certification – that’s 25% of the state’s Peer workforce. Re-certification can be a huge barrier to success as a Peer Provider, and can take you out of the workforce if you aren’t prepared. Knowing how to renew your certification before it expires can keep you working, and contributes to your overall growth as a Peer Provider. In this post, we’ll break down how to re-certify as a Peer Recovery Specialist in the state of Minnesota.

What is Re-Certification, and Why Does it Matter?

Certification is the process of credentialing that an individual is required to go through in order to become qualified to offer peer recovery services. The certification process is a critical step in your career journey as a Peer Provider. In Minnesota, certification consists of passing a required Certification Exam that takes roughly two hours to complete; for more information about the certification process check out our post about it here.

Once you are initially certified as a Peer Provider, you will need to re-certify every 2 years. We’ll dive into this process more below.

How to Re-Certify as a Peer in Minnesota

Check your certification expiration date
Have you been certified for close to a year? Check with your Supervisor or visit Certemy to find your certification date. Knowing your certification date can help you to better prepare for your future as a Peer. You will need to renew your certification each year, so find out the timeline you are working with!

Find CEU opportunities
Continuing education (CEU or CE) credits are earned by participating in classes offered by a higher education institution. Broadly speaking, continuing education opportunities can range from listening to a seminar on recovery-related topics to taking a course on the criminal justice system. While there are many opportunities to receive CEU credits, you might not know where to find them This is precisely why we created our Continuing Education resource which can be found here. We update this page to continuously provide a variety of resources that any certified peer provider can use.

Complete your CEU credits
Once you’ve landed on the CEU resources page, find a few that sound interesting to you. You will need to complete 30 hours of credits total to renew your CPRS certification. If you’re struggling to choose, think about what course, class or seminar would benefit you as a CPRS. Are you working with individuals in a reentry program? Maybe consider an option that offers educational development around the criminal justice system.

Complete your renewal application
Complete your renewal application in your Certemy account. Make sure to submit your renewal application prior to your official expiration date – it will take 3-5 business days to process. You’ve now successfully completed your CPRS renewal application!

3 Tips for Completing Your CEU Credits

Find a topic you’re interested in!
Reach out to your Supervisor for CEU resources
Start working on your CEU credits before your certification expires

We Don’t Want You to Fall Through the Cracks

Staying up to date with your certification is one of the most important ways to stay actively working as a CPRS. At Kyros, we want to support you as you grow within your professional career. All Kyros Supervisors are tapped into the community and equipped with CEU resources to better help you advance as a Peer. Reach out to your Supervisor if you have any questions, or want to start the conversation about Continuing Education requirements.

Start Browsing CEU Opportunities Now!

Get ahead of the game! Check out the CEU opportunities that are available today and start working to complete your required 30 hours. Visit our CEU resource page and check out some of the opportunities that are available across Minnesota.