Office of Public Safety Support - Peer Counselor Certification Training

Our goal is to offer such training to Public Safety Officers who wish to be able to provide emotional and/or psychological support to their fellow first responders.

HB 703, which established the Office of Public Safety Support, also clearly defines a “Client” (those who are eligible to receive peer support services) as a Public Safety Officer. The bill goes on to define a Public Safety Officer as a peace officer, correctional officer, emergency health worker, firefighter, highway response operator, jail officer, juvenile correctional officer, probation officer, or emergency services dispatcher. The bill further provides that communications between a “Client” and a peer counselor shall be privileged.

The basic concept of Peer Support is the idea of normalizing reactions through shared experiences; therefore, our focus is on training Public Safety Officers (as defined above) who have experienced traumatic events or critical incidents themselves and can help a fellow officer(s) in a time of need.

Students completing the training will receive 40-hours of P.O.S.T Credit, 24 General Education CEU’s for EMS, or 24 Hours of State Fire Credit for Firefighters.