All attendees must complete all training benchmarks to receive credit. It is up to the discretion of the facilitators and the Continuing Education Coordinator to decide if the attendee meets those benchmarks. All facilitators must complete the Evaluation Sheet directly after the course concludes. Peer Academy evaluates attendees on communication, participation, and understanding.
All applicants must first verify their ability to become certified by the state of Texas through the HHSC orientation process. We require confirmation of that process and our attestation that the applicant understands the minimum requirements for certification. All prospective trainees must complete an application to be considered for training.
Once Connection Center/Peer Academy receives an application, the internal reviewer has up to 5 business days to complete the internal application process. The process is as follows:
The Reviewer must
Per The Peer Support Code of Ethics, Peer Academy Reviewers may not approve or disapprove applicants based on ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief, mental or physical disability, military status, or any other preference or personal characteristic, condition or state.
All applicants needing financial assistance will be required to do additional screening.
If a registered trainee cannot attend, they must cancel within 5 business days before the start of the training.
If a registered personal pay trainee has not canceled before 5 business days, or if they are a “no show” to training, they will not be refunded and must reach out to reschedule for the next available training.
If a scholarship registered trainee has not canceled before 5 business days, or if they are a “no show” to training, they will be required to wait 6 months to reapply for a scholarship; they may choose to pay out-of-pocket to attend an earlier training.
For the MHPS Supplemental training, please be aware that trainees who do not complete the four reflective questions by the 1st day of training will be dropped from the training and will be considered a “no show”.
All trainees must have a desktop computer or laptop, dependable internet, and a webcam, and be in a quiet place to concentrate. Smartphones are not considered a reliable internet connection as they are needed for participation in required activities throughout the training; please be aware if the trainee does not have access to a computer, their access to training will be denied, and they will be required to reschedule. The trainee should be in a private setting since we share personal lived experiences.
Per the state of Texas, participation is a requirement, and trainees must have their cameras on during the training. Trainees may not engage in “multi-tasking” or other activities that the instructor determines are a distraction to their full participation.
CORE Specific Requirements: All trainees must confirm to the welcome email 5 days before training and make sure they can access the materials provided in that email to gain admittance into the training space. Trainees can miss no more than already scheduled three breaks and lunch breaks. If the allocated time is exceeded, the trainee will forfeit their participation in training.
Supplemental Specific Requirements: All trainees must confirm to the welcome email 5 days before training, ensure they can access the materials provided in that email, and complete the required pre-training questions to gain admittance into the training space. Trainees can miss no more than 2 hours of training outside of already scheduled breaks. If the allocated time is exceeded, the trainee will forfeit their participation in training.
CEU Specific Requirements: Trainees can miss no more than already scheduled breaks. If the allocated time is exceeded, the trainee will forfeit their participation in training.
Trainees may be removed from the training if any of these requirements are not met.
An “incomplete” for a training is when a trainee: misses more than half of a training without providing a valid reason.
A trainee with a scholarship who receives an “incomplete” must pay full price if they register for another training or wait 6 months to reapply for another scholarship.
Personal Pay Trainees who have paid in advance and who receive an “incomplete” because they did not complete the training in the designated time will not be issued a refund.
If an emergency occurs and you cannot complete training, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible. If there is an excusable reason for not completing the training (e.g., family emergency, illness), the training will not be marked as incomplete. Needing more time or other issues associated with working on the training towards the end of the scheduled time are not considered emergencies.
Trainees have up to 1 attempt to redo their knowledge assessment. If the trainee still does not pass the assessment, they will need to redo the training in order to re-test. Peer Academy will cover the cost associated with the second training.
Peer Academy does not offer refunds if a trainee cancels or does not show up to training. As an alternative to a refund, Peer Academy can issue a “Tuition Transfer Credit” to be used within 12 months. Once the Transfer Credit has been applied to another training, it cannot then be canceled or used a second time.
If Peer Academy cancels a training due to low enrollment or some unexpected event, and the trainee has paid for the training being canceled, they will have the choice of receiving either a full credit for the cost of the training, good for 12 months, or a full refund to be issued within 30 days after the training cancellation was issued.
In emergencies in which a trainee is not able to cancel 5 business days before the training, or if an emergency arises during training, they must contact us immediately by email at [email protected].
Each trainee is responsible for contacting Peer Academy on their behalf, except when unable due to the nature of the emergency.
If a training has to be canceled by Peer Academy, the entity must give at least 24 hours’ notice unless there are extenuating circumstances.
The entity must provide notice as soon as possible. Peer Academy gives notice of cancellation via the email provided by the trainee.
If Peer Academy cancels a training due to low enrollment or some unexpected event, and the trainee has paid for the training being canceled, they will have the choice of receiving either a full credit for the cost of the training, good for 12 months, or a full refund to be issued within 30 days after the training cancellation was issued.
If a trainee requires reasonable accommodations, they must let the Continuing Education Coordinator/Training Coordinator know at least 5 days before training to ensure accommodations can be coordinated. It is up to the trainee to make sure that the request is made by that time frame. If the trainee fails to request within the allotted time frame, Peer Academy cannot guarantee that accommodations will be available. If a trainee cannot attend training due to a lack of communication about that request, the refund policy will be nullified, and refunds will not be made available.
Peer Academy has compiled a list of the most common accommodations that could be requested in an online training environment. These are just examples, and the Training Coordinator will work with the trainee to make the best accommodations possible. Due to the nature of the training, the requirements of the state, and the online learning environment, Peer Academy does not and cannot guarantee all accommodations can or will be met.
A trainee who is blind or has limited vision may use a computer equipped with text-to-speech software and a speech synthesizer. They may also use a text-only browser to navigate the web or simply turn off the graphics-loading feature of a multimedia web browser. If a trainee cannot interpret graphics, a course instructor will read the graphic for them. A trainee may use special software to enlarge screen images. Peer Academy will not provide these resources for them, but does allow them in training and during the assessment.
Trainees with learning disabilities can use speech output or screen enlargement systems similar to those used by people with visual impairments to help them read text. A trainee may also request that the assessment be read aloud to them by a course instructor. The standard assessment time is one hour, a trainee may request additional time.
A trainee who is deaf or hard of hearing may use captions which are already implemented in the online training software (Zoom).
Trainees who do not have access to the required technology (webcam and desktop/laptop) may come in person (zip code – 78229) to utilize our equipment.
The state of Texas only offers the CORE and Supplemental training in English, to help bridge the gap and be more inclusive, Peer Academy is currently offering the training in Spanish.
Peer Training Instructors/Facilitators (used interchangeably) at Peer Academy must be individually certified as a peer specialist and provide evidence of that certification before facilitating any training. Furthermore, at least one instructor must have the appropriate ToT (Training of the Trainers) certification for each related training (CORE, MHPS Supplemental, RSPS Supplemental, PSS, and CEUs).
Peer Academy’s written standard of operating procedures for becoming an instructor are as follows:
Nothing in this policy precludes any individual with lived experience approved by the lead facilitator from telling their story and participating in group discussion as long as the lead facilitator is present. The individual shall not be considered a training instructor or facilitator and is therefore not subject to any requirements under this policy.
All written documentation will be maintained in the instructor’s personnel files found on the following page.
Peer Academy’s Training Team (clicking name will go to each facilitator’s certification file)
Past instructors’ certifications can be found here. Inactive Trainers.
Peer Academy has the right to review anyone whose identification photo is in question to the person in training. Verification methods include:
If the identification cannot be confirmed, or if it is confirmed to belong to someone else, the applicant and trainee (if known) will be barred from any future Peer Academy training or programs. Additionally, PeerHubTX will be notified of their names.
For the most up-to-date training fees and pricing, please refer to our training pages on the site. Pricing is subject to change without notice.
Questions? Contact [email protected]
