This advanced ethics training is designed for experienced Peer Support Specialists to meet their biannual ethics training requirements. Building upon the CPRS training content, this training moves beyond basic “rules” and into the nuanced ethical decision-making that is required when working with vulnerable populations.

Participants will explore ethical gray areas that commonly arise in peer roles—including boundaries, dual relationships, power dynamics, self-disclosure, and confidentiality—through a trauma-informed, peer-led lens. Emphasis is placed on protecting the peer relationship and person served without sacrificing authenticity, mutuality, or any of the core values of peer support.

This training centers ethical practice as ongoing skill development, not a checklist that can be achieved. It promotes self-awareness, reflection, consultation, and a willingness to live in the gray in the face of ambiguity.

Learning Objectives

• Describe all key components of the RICB Code of Ethical Conduct

• Identify ethical gray areas and ways to navigate them effectively

• Explain the importance of strong boundaries in peer support work and practices in effectively setting and keeping them

• Describe the importance of supervision in both preventing and addressing ethical dilemmas

• Identify the process for filing an ethics complaint and setting expectations for participation if warranted

• Apply critical thinking skills and peer values to real life scenarios to promote learning and ability to handle ethical concerns as they arise in peer work