Take Your Heart to Work

NOTE:  A certified 16-20 hour wellness plan training is a required prerequisite (to be taken before) for the Take Your Heart to Work® Peer Support Specialist Certification Training.  For specific recommendations on upcoming available local wellness plan trainings, contact the facilitator for this Take Your Heart to Work® Peer Support Specialist Certification Training Course, Melissa Lewis, at melissa.lewis@creeksidertw.org or 252-675-2635.

COURSE INFORMATION:

The name, “Take Your Heart to Work,” is a Meryl Streep quote that she used in a college graduation keynote speech.  The quote is the essence of this Curriculum:

“Integrate what you believe into every single area of your life.  Take your heart to work, and ask the most and best of everybody else, too.  Don’t let that get beaten down.” 

This training focuses on developing a NC Certified Peer Support Specialist (NCCPSS) who is well equipped and comfortable with working with other professionals on a treatment team or any Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder agency.  The NCCPSS will serve as an equal partner with unique qualities of lived experience.  The trainers’ goals are to provide opportunities, in a caring environment, for the participants to be knowledgeable and marketable in the peer support workforce.

This training includes sections on self-monitoring wellness, building relationships, connecting to others, and bridging the service gaps.  Once participants embrace how to stay well by using self-monitoring skills and action plans, they are ready to proceed with the main part of this curriculum.  An emphasis is placed on the individual’s commitment to the NCCPSS and employer’s Code of Ethics.  Of great importance, is the ability to support individuals to become more interdependent in the community and less dependent on the service system.  Skills in effective communication without judgement, recovery oriented language, and cultural competency are the topics learned and practiced in the Building Relationships section.  In the section on Connecting to Others, participants will learn about crisis as an opportunity to change, decision-making tools, and human rights.  In the Bridging the Gaps section, participants will learn about documentation, accessing community resources, substance use disorders, and supporting Service Members and their families. 

This class is held over 3 weekends (Saturdays & Sundays from 8:00am - 5:00 pm -- August 17-18, 24-25, 31 & September 1, 2024).  It is vital that participants attend all 6 sessions, because each session builds upon information from the previous session.  Certificates will be provided at the end of the course, for those who complete the Take Your Heart to Work® Peer Support Specialist Certification Training Course.

Register for Take Your Heart to Work® here:  https://bit.ly/signup4TYHW

FEES & PAYMENT INFORMATION:

*Take Your Heart to Work® Peer Support Specialist Certification Training Course Fee:  $375

*Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted.  Contact Melissa Lewis for payment instructions. 

*A $100 nonrefundable deposit is required for each class.  Your deposit will be applied to the class fee.  The deposit is due one week before the first day of class.  The remainder of the class fee is due the first day of class.  

*There is an additional 5% fee for online and credit card payments.

*Scholarships may be available (if you qualify) from NC Works, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), or Vocational Rehabilitation & Education (VR&E).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

*The registration deadline is 2 weeks before the first day of class.  This class usually fills up quickly and there is sometimes a waiting list.  You will be contacted by email if the class you register for is full and you are placed on the waiting list. 

*There is an assignment that is due 2 weeks before class starts, so be sure to register early in order to have time to effectively complete the Advanced Assignment. The Advanced Assignment will be emailed to you after your registration is received.

*There does need to be a minimum number of people in the class, and if we do not meet that number (per state requirements), we will have to cancel the class.  If the class has to be cancelled for this (or any other reason – like bad weather), you will be notified by email as soon as the decision is made.

*We will be abiding by local COVID-19 precautions including social distancing, limiting the number of people in the class, and any other precautions deemed necessary.

*All reasonable accommodations will be made to empower participants to complete the course.  (For example, do you use a mobility device such as a walker or wheelchair?  Do you need to sit closer to see the screen?  Etc.)  If accommodations are necessary, please inform Melissa Lewis and list them on the training application. 

Contact Melissa Lewis at melissa.lewis@creeksidertw.org or 252-675-2635, if you have questions about this or the required prerequisite wellness plan training, or need more information.