CPSS Peer Support Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Trauma-informed peer support requires specialists to understand that challenging behaviors often represent:
- Manipulation and non-compliance
- Lack of motivation for recovery
- Survival strategies developed in response to trauma (Correct answer)
- Personal choices unrelated to past experiences
Correct answer: Survival strategies developed in response to trauma
Trauma-informed practice recognizes that difficult behaviors are often adaptive responses to past trauma, not signs of weakness or willful non-compliance.
Question 2: Cultural humility in peer support is best described as:
- Learning all facts about every culture before meeting someone
- An ongoing process of self-reflection and learning about others' cultural identities (Correct answer)
- Treating everyone exactly the same regardless of background
- Applying cultural generalizations to guide support
Correct answer: An ongoing process of self-reflection and learning about others' cultural identities
Cultural humility is a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and remaining open to learning, rather than claiming mastery of any culture.
Question 3: Which of the following is a core tenant of the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)?
- Symptoms must be eliminated before wellness is possible
- Clinicians develop the plan on behalf of the individual
- Individuals identify personal wellness tools and action steps (Correct answer)
- Medication compliance is the primary wellness indicator
Correct answer: Individuals identify personal wellness tools and action steps
WRAP is a self-designed plan where individuals identify their own wellness strategies, triggers, and action steps, reflecting the peer support value of self-direction.
Question 4: A peer specialist is supporting someone from a different racial background and realizes their assumptions may not apply. The most appropriate response is to:
- Research that culture online before the next session
- Ask the individual to educate them about their cultural background
- Approach the individual with curiosity and follow their lead (Correct answer)
- Refer the individual to a peer specialist from the same background
Correct answer: Approach the individual with curiosity and follow their lead
Approaching with curiosity and following the individual's lead respects their unique experience without making assumptions or placing the burden of education on them.
Question 5: Which trauma-informed principle involves creating environments and relationships where people feel physically and emotionally safe?
- Empowerment
- Collaboration
- Safety (Correct answer)
- Transparency
Correct answer: Safety
Safety is the foundational trauma-informed principle, ensuring that both physical settings and interpersonal interactions feel secure for trauma survivors.
Question 6: When a peer specialist responds to someone sharing a distressing experience by asking, 'How did that make you feel?' they are demonstrating:
- Active listening (Correct answer)
- Rescuing behavior
- Unsolicited advice-giving
- Clinical assessment
Correct answer: Active listening
Asking open-ended questions about feelings is a core active listening technique that validates the person's experience and encourages deeper sharing.
Question 7: In trauma-informed peer support, 'retraumatization' refers to:
- Experiencing a new traumatic event
- Triggering trauma symptoms through insensitive interactions or environments (Correct answer)
- Reliving trauma memories through therapy
- Medication side effects that mimic trauma symptoms
Correct answer: Triggering trauma symptoms through insensitive interactions or environments
Retraumatization occurs when an insensitive interaction, environment, or practice triggers someone's past trauma, potentially worsening their distress.
CPSS Peer Support Principles 3
Trauma-informed peer support requires specialists to understand that challenging behaviors often represent: