I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues, and you will keep my judgements and do them Ezekiel 36:26-27
You can call that Spirit recovery if you want. Recovery is when you are no longer totally defined by your mental illness. Recovery is when you want to tell people about your redemption - that you will always have mental illness, but that it does not control or demean you. Recovery is when you make mistakes, but you do not let them turn your life into a crisis. Recovery is when you recognize your worth as a valuable human being, deserving of dignity, respect and love. I am very excited because I have been accepted to the next Georgia CPS (certified peer specialist) training. A CPS is a person doing well in recovery who helps other people who have mental illness by relating to them as a peer. Fundamental to the CPS training is the belief that all people deserve respect and to be as integrated into society as much as possible. We have a code of ethics that I think are pretty great, so for American Psychological Association's Mental Health Blog Day (unfortunately, I am a day late), I am posting most of the GA CPS Code of Ethics. I hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me.
GA Certified Peer Specialist Code of Ethics
The primary responsibility of Certified Peer Specialists is to help individuals achieve their own needs, wants, and goals. Certified Peer Specialists will be guided by the principle of self-determination for all.
Certified Peer Specialists will maintain high standards of personal conduct. Certified Peer Specialists will also conduct themselves in a manner that fosters their own recovery.
Certified Peer Specialists will openly share with consumers and colleagues their recovery stories from mental illness and will likewise be able to identify and describe the supports that promote their recovery.
Certified Peer Specialists will, at all times, respect the rights and dignity of those they serve.
Certified Peer Specialists will never intimidate, threaten, harass, use undue influence, physical force or verbal abuse, or make unwarranted promises of benefits to the individuals they serve.
Certified Peer Specialists will not practice, condone, facilitate or collaborate in any form of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief, mental or physical disability, or any other preference or personal characteristic, condition or state.
Certified Peer Specialists will advocate for those they serve that they may make their own decisions in all matters when dealing with other professionals.
Certified Peer Specialists will respect the privacy and confidentiality of those they serve.
Certified Peer Specialists will advocate for the full integration of individuals into the communities of their choice and will promote the inherent value of those individuals to those communities. Certified Peer Specialists will be directed by the knowledge that all individuals have the right to live in the least restrictive and least intrusive environment.
Certified Peers Specialists will keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to recovery, and openly share this knowledge with their colleagues.
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