Peer Support for Older Adults

In the Peer Support for Older Adults Microcredential, students will explore the core knowledge and skills needed to support older adults, including: promoting healthy aging, foundations in aging, recognizing ageism, aging experiences, motivational approaches and personal growth, and how to create and join a learning collaborative. First, students will learn community psychology and explore the many roles within communities to address various social issues relevant to urban and rural environments. Students will then gain experience with the Academy of Peer Services website, which houses the core curriculum to achieve one’s New York State Peer Specialist Certification. Students will complete the elective older adult modules during this term with the goal of familiarizing oneself with relevant online peer support coursework.

Peer Support is a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful. It is about understanding another’s situation empathically though shared lived experience. Participants in this microcredential must be willing to meet and uphold the values and principles of Peer Support in order to seek certification and employment in the discipline. This microcredential does not lead to Peer Support certification and instead provides foundational education on the supported discipline and guidance on building a portfolio and navigating the NY Peer Specialist educational modules. For more information on the NY Peer Specialist Certification, please visit www.nypscb.org.

* This microcredential is funded through the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

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