CPSS Communication Skills & Professional Boundaries 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A peer support specialist is co-facilitating a support group and one participant begins to dominate the conversation. The most effective facilitation response is to:
- Ask the dominant participant to leave the group temporarily
- Use gentle redirecting techniques to invite other voices into the conversation (Correct answer)
- Let the conversation continue since the person clearly needs to be heard
- End the session early to prevent further imbalance
Correct answer: Use gentle redirecting techniques to invite other voices into the conversation
Skillful facilitation balances participation by redirecting conversations in ways that are inclusive without shaming any individual participant.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates 'reflective listening' in a peer support context?
- 'You should try attending a support group — it really helped me.'
- 'So it sounds like you're feeling overwhelmed since you lost your housing.' (Correct answer)
- 'Have you talked to your case manager about these concerns?'
- 'I understand. Let me tell you what worked for me in a similar situation.'
Correct answer: 'So it sounds like you're feeling overwhelmed since you lost your housing.'
Reflective listening mirrors back the emotional content and meaning of what a person shared, demonstrating understanding without redirecting or advising.
Question 3: In North Carolina peer support practice, 'mutuality' in the peer relationship primarily means:
- Both the peer specialist and the person supported share equal responsibility for outcomes
- The relationship is grounded in shared lived experience, creating genuine connection (Correct answer)
- The peer specialist and person take turns leading sessions
- Both parties sign a mutual agreement of goals and expectations
Correct answer: The relationship is grounded in shared lived experience, creating genuine connection
Mutuality refers to the reciprocal nature of the peer relationship, built on shared understanding of lived experience with mental health, substance use, or trauma.
Question 4: A person supported asks a peer specialist for their personal phone number so they can call anytime. The most appropriate response is to:
- Provide the number to show commitment and availability
- Explain the agency's contact protocols and provide the appropriate professional contact information (Correct answer)
- Tell the person they are being inappropriate and document the request
- Give the number but set informal boundaries about when to call
Correct answer: Explain the agency's contact protocols and provide the appropriate professional contact information
Providing personal contact information blurs professional boundaries; directing persons to agency-approved contact methods maintains appropriate structure.
Question 5: When writing case notes about a peer support session, which information is most appropriate to include?
- Personal opinions about the person's motivation and character
- Objective observations, topics discussed, and actions agreed upon (Correct answer)
- Detailed descriptions of the person's trauma history as shared in the session
- Speculation about the person's diagnoses or prognosis
Correct answer: Objective observations, topics discussed, and actions agreed upon
Documentation should be objective, factual, and focused on what occurred and was agreed upon — avoiding subjective judgments or speculative clinical information.
Question 6: A peer specialist's former substance use sponsor asks them to share information about a mutual acquaintance who is now receiving peer support services. The specialist should:
- Share general information since the sponsor also has a recovery background
- Decline to confirm or share any information about any person they support (Correct answer)
- Ask the person being supported for verbal permission before disclosing
- Share only non-identifying information to protect the person's privacy
Correct answer: Decline to confirm or share any information about any person they support
Confidentiality applies regardless of the requester's background or relationship to the peer specialist — no information about persons served may be disclosed without proper authorization.
Question 7: Which of the following actions best demonstrates maintaining appropriate professional boundaries while still providing warm, genuine peer support?
- Avoiding all personal disclosure to maintain a clinical distance
- Being authentic and caring within the defined role without developing personal dependencies (Correct answer)
- Spending extra unpaid time with a person to show genuine investment in their recovery
- Prioritizing friendship over professional protocols when a person is struggling
Correct answer: Being authentic and caring within the defined role without developing personal dependencies
Effective peer support is both warm and boundaried — genuine connection within the professional role is the foundation of ethical peer practice.
CPSS Communication Skills & Professional Boundaries 5
A peer support specialist is co-facilitating a support group and one participant begins to dominate the conversation.
The most effective facilitation response is to: