Mike Sommer Completes His Parent Peer Specialist Certification!
At The Roots LLC is so excited to announce that one of the co-owners, Mike Sommer, has passed his certification exam through the state of Wisconsin and is now a practicing Certified Parent Peer Specialist!
What is a Certified Parent Peer Specialist?
Much like a Certified Peer Specialist, a Parent Peer Specialist draws from lived experiences with an emphasis on family dynamics. It is also a certified position by the state of Wisconsin.
Certified Parent Peer Specialists are trained to work with the family as a unit, not just the individual moving parts. They can help parents understand their children and family dynamics from an outside, trauma-informed, perspective. Ultimately the family is the expert and leads the way to recovery, Certified Parent Peer Specialists just help facilitate the conversations and help families to access the resources and information they need to succeed. The goal for any Certified Parent Peer Specialists is to help families see how resilient they are by building skills, setting goals, learning communication skills, and creating a life that works for all members of the family.
Each family is different but one can expect their Certified Parent Peer Specialists to model positive relationship skills, offer skill-building in areas the family identifies as an area of growth, a positive influence for all members, peer support where it's needed and asked for, assistance identifying healthy supports, plus so much more!
What makes Wisconsin’s Certified Parent Peer Specialists Unique?
The Wisconsin Parent Peer Specialist Website says it best:
Certified Parent Peer Specialists recognized in the State of Wisconsin complete parent peer support training, examination, and continuing education requirements.
Wisconsin is one of the first states in the country to develop a formal certification for Parent Peer Specialists. This certification went into effect in 2018. Comparatively, the Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist credential has existed since 2010. Certified Parent Peer Specialists are on the cutting edge of family support services in Wisconsin and the nation.
Certified Parent Peer Specialists in Wisconsin, like Certified Peer Specialists, are guided by and expected to work in accordance with a list of Core Competencies, a clearly defined Scope of Practice, and a Code of Ethics.
These documents are central to the role of the Certified Parent Peer Specialist in Wisconsin. The training curriculum and examination coordinated by the Wisconsin Peer Specialist Employment Initiative is structured in such a way as to ensure a clear understanding of these documents and their application in the workplace.
What’s this mean for you?
First, if you happen to see Mike anytime soon - tell him congratulations! He’ll act all humble about it probably but seriously, it’s a really cool accomplishment.
Secondly, if you feel like you as a parent could use additional support personally or if your family needs some wrap-around support together book an appointment with Mike today!