Services / Peer On-the-Job Training

Peer On-the-Job Training Program

The Certified Peer Support Professional (CPSP) On-the-Job Training Program works in cooperation with the CPSP training offered through the Indiana Department of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) and is focused on developing Harm Reduction & Peer Coaching Skills to bridge the gap for those who have experienced stigma and discrimination when attempting to access services.

Participants complete the 48 hour DMHA CPSP training, pass the CPSP certification exam, and complete all CEUs to maintain year 1 of certification. Seventy hours of continued instruction and support while completing 120 hours of work experience with a mentor allow peers to gain the professional experience to feel confident in the role.

What is a Certified Peer Recovery Professional?

A Peer Support Specialist is a person with lived experience who has been trained to support those who struggle with mental health or substance use. Peer Support Specialists have expertise that professional training cannot replicate. Job duties include assisting peers in:

  • Articulating their goals

  • Learning and practicing new skills

  • Monitoring their progress

  • Advocating for themselves

  • Developing effective coping strategies based on the specialist’s own experience

Eligibility Criteria

  • 18 years old or older

  • Have a personal email address, smart phone, computer and internet access

  • An individual living in recovery with a mental health and/or substance use condition and/or family member to another person living with a mental health and/or substance use condition

  • Live or work in Indiana at least 51% of the time

Employer Funding for Next Level Jobs

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development Employer Training Grant reimburses employers who train, hire, and retain new or incumbent workers to fill in-demand positions within recognized job fields. The grant will reimburse employers up to $5,000 per employee who is trained, hired, and retained for six months, starting with the first day of training, up to $50,000 per employer per year.

Individual Training Funds

Naxos Neighbors’ On-the-Job Training Program is approved by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Individuals interested in our training program can check with thier local Workone office to see if they are eligible for funding.



JOIN US

"The path to healing requires more than treatment facilities and awareness campaigns. It requires community. We need more people willing to show up, to listen, to support, and to hold space for those in need...It’s only through collective effort that we can share the burden and create real, lasting change. The weight is too heavy for a few to carry…”

Alexandra Plante, Senior Advisor of Substance Use Disorder, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

About the Trainer

Joanne Kelley Cogdell—CEO, Naxos Neighbors

Joanne is a Certified Peer Support Professional who has worked in community education for over 20 years and harm reduction for 12 years as an HIV Risk Reduction Specialist in Philadelphia and more recently as the co-founder of Naxos Neighbors. Joanne is a certified Opioid Overdose Prevention Trainer through the New York State Department of Health and has numerous certifications in opioid use disorder.

She is currently partnering with the University of Notre Dame, Department of Analytical Chemistry to develop local drug checking and the University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine as a steering committee member for Defining Terminology and Outcome Measures for Evaluating Digital and/or Virtual Drug Overdose Response Technology.

Naxos Neighbors CEO Joanne Kelley Cogdell smiling portrait

Naxos Neighbors Training Cancellation Policy:
All training attendees must have payment arrangements confirmed for courses 1 week prior to the start of the program.
Cancellations must be made 1 week prior to the training start date in order for fees to be refundable.
Cancellations must be received in writing by email or mail.