mental health technician

support specialist

certified peer specialist

regional director

recovery specialist

Peerstar LLC

I wish I could write a raving review about this company, the premise of its goals are something that anyone in the mental-health field would love to be apart of. Unfortunately, this is just another "Mental Health Facility" that has its focuses on becoming "big" and has less focus on what's important, its patients/members and employees. 

At the end of the training class (which was fantastic, wish the actual job was as on-point as it was) you're left with an impression that this line of work is going to be extraordinary, or at least not just ordinary. At the least, youre going to legitimately help some people out there. Once in the field however, you'll know that the 2 weeks of training does nothing for a career that normally requires a degree when working around the mentally handicapped, schizophrenics, and other individuals which you have no experience in. Which brings me to the biggest problem with Peer Star.

   There is absolutely no rhyme or reason for assigning the peers to CPS's. One would think that it would be helpful to link up individuals with similar backgrounds where one (the CPS) has successfully overcame their struggles in their life, and in turn can help the other (Peer) overcome what theyre going through. This never happens. They pretty much spin a bingo-ball case of Peers and pull a CPS's name out of a hat and congratulations, youve been "matched". 

   If I had more time and experiences with individuals who were in similar past situations as mine, such as drug abuse, mental abuse, and relatively around my age (within 30 years wouldve been helpful, again.. that was rare as well) then I may have been able to help somebody. Which brings me to my final and most irritating point.

     Nobody wants the services provided, most are simply abusing a free service to get what they need and counselling certainly isn't one of them. Tack onto that a wealth of paperwork and very little compensation for travel and you have PeerStar. Where individuals with the intent of helping others are forced together with individuals they have no formal training to work with. Also if you think management and supervisors are going to help you grow and learn to be a better C.P.S. then you'll be sorely disappointed.

     I would have loved to work in this agency and make a career out of it but building up a caseload when half or more of your Peers wont meet up with you, or only work 1 or 2 days out of the week isn't going to pay the bills. If youre retired, or possibly looking for a part-time job for a little supplemental income then this is the path for you. However this is absolutely not a career unless you wish to work in the office someday, especially with the flawed, or rather lack of a "matching system" for getting peers paired up with CPS's. 

     Had it not been for some choice words and attitudes from management at the end of my "employment" with them, I wouldn't have much to say. However it only makes sense, for an actual career in a field like this, it isn't as simple as getting a 2-week certficate. Some people work their whole lives just to get the education for this type of job, so it makes sense that it would have the problems that it does, however it would be an amazing service if properly organized and managed.

I worked for Peerstar for about two years from 2014-2016.  The training class was amazing and I was very grateful to be able to have the experience.  My coworkers were absolutely amazing and stepped up in more ways than one.  My peers were also amazing, and as far as Peer Support goes, I think I got as much out of the relationship with them as they got out of the relationship with me.  I'm very grateful for all of them.
Peerstar has some wonderful people in upper management that helped me out, and were very understanding when I was having difficulties in my personal life.  They also do cool things (for Christmas, for example), which I love because it helps me feel like a part of the team.  It can be difficult to feel like you're part of the team when you're so far from the "mother-ship" (I'm in Franklin county, and the main office is in Altoona).  I think they could benefit from doing more things like that, maybe on a quarterly basis (?) as a way of keeping people connected.
The major downside came for me when I had a car accident during my second year there.  I got into the accident as I was going from one peer's house to another (I was on work time).  I was not given any compensation or help for this, and given the salary we were making and the mileage reimbursement we were given (substandard), there was no chance for me to get back on my feet.  Therefore I had to get a job where driving my personal vehicle wasn't required.  In this regard, I think that the concept of Peer Support is flawed.  The people at the bottom (the ones bringing in all the money) are paid a pittance while the people at the top have shares in stocks and are living it up.  This is a common business model, but in this case, I don't think it's a good thing, because the people at the bottom all have mental illness.  Some of us were at our "last-chance" stop before collecting disability and getting help from the government.  If you don't get benefits, you can't survive on what you're being paid at this company.  I don't think that it's right to profit off people with disabilities.  When I tried to contact a person from HR to explain to her that I had a vehicle and was ready to start back up with peers, my emails went unanswered.  There was no communication whatsoever letting me know that that HR employee was no longer working there.  She had been my main contact person for the bulk of my time there.
I have two college degrees and I feel that there was no chance for advancement at this place.  I think it's like many other places are in Pennsylvania--they use you up at the entry level, and then when you're tapped out, you're gone.  It's a shame that people operate this way.
This place has a lot of potential and is definitely a game changer.  I hope that they shore up some of their weak points in the future so that people aren't discarded after being hurt and confused as I was.

I've never been treated with as much genuine respect and kindness at a job before. They help you every step of the way, and your training is paid and fun. Most corporate trainings are done over Zoom, so you'll need internet access with a camera and microphone. All the bosses, supervisors, etc have excellent communication skills and are incredibly nice.

The work itself is extremely fulfilling, but be prepared for frequent appointment cancelations. This means you'll have to push for double the caseload you would expect in order to get enough hours. Hourly wage is decent for an unskilled blue collar job in PA, but is way too low for what it actually is: skilled healthcare. (This is true for all CPS jobs, though, not just Peerstar.) They consider 27 hours per week full time, and full time benefits are great. They reimburse your mileage, but if your vehicle is a gas hog like mine it doesn't remotely cover it, so if that's your situation you should push to only see people who live near you, otherwise you could end up just breaking even, if that.

You need to have a good personal support system and be on top of your self-care hardcore non-stop to maintain the emotional resilience needed to do this. It's mostly pretty chill and can be really fun, but it's inevitable that you will be exposed to some extremely heavy stuff and have to help people through serious crisis, which can be jarring and distressing. Plus, not every peer you work with will be nice, hygienic, or motivated to make progress and help themselves, especially if seeing you is something they're just being forced to do, so you have to be very zen about that and not let yourself feel like it means you're being disrespected or doing a bad job.

This is the coolest job I've ever had and I would recommend it to anyone who has a mental health condition and is patient, compassionate, and self-motivated. Flipping burgers and cleaning toilets has nothing on this, so definitely give it a shot if you think you have what it takes.

Although the job can be demanding at times, it has been incredibly beneficial to my recovery. Management and staff made me feel like "family" from day one, consistently reassuring me that they would support and encourage me to succeed, and I haven't experienced anything less. 

They are technologically advanced when it comes to submitting paperwork and documentation to avoid unnecessary time scanning or travel time to an office. 

All trainings have been informative and engaging with presenters highly proficient in their area of expertise. 

Compensation is fair, but in my opinion, could be slightly better given the amount of non-billable work entailed. Unfortunately, there is no incentive to having a college-level education (Bachelor's degree) unless it is a Master's degree in a supervisory role.

The most difficult part of the position is navigating and establishing your personal boundaries with peers, but management and supervisors are always available to help guide you through the process. Their willingness to resolve issues in a professional and empathetic manner is second to none in comparison to other organizations I have been employed by.

Above all else, it is welcomed that you come into the environment being authentically yourself, which is refreshing and what has motivated me personally to become more involved in the culture and field of mental health and addiction recovery. 

I highly recommend Peerstar LLC as an employer for Peer Support Services. If you are interested in sharing your personal story and spreading hope and happy to those who have struggled with some of the same challenges that you have experienced, this is for you.

This company is deliberately exploitin new hires cheating them of all travel expenses and making it impossible to recover any compesensation until you work up to several peers. They exploit ALL NEW FOLKS by means of unfair reimbursement, they start you off with 3 peers and tell you to do "smart scheduling," which isn't even possible in the beginning. That means you can eventually be poorly compensated once up to ten hours a week which took 3 weeks! Until then it's all out of your pocket, which for me was over 2,500 miles. Eventually you can get enough peers to be poorly paid from one apt.to the next, but travel is paid at minimum wage. They expect a person to drive two hours (round trip) for a 1.5 hour peer session without any compensation. If you dont, they keep travel pay as a snub. The office workers are condecending when called on all their imoral policies for c.p.s.'s while the salary people are given fair treatment and gas cards. At times I wondered if I was on candid camera, or what?They lack in the "supervisors department"  putting people in that position before training them was highly problematic as she was clueless and her inabilities = 320 more miles of drivi to the office to re-fax paperwork because of tiny corrections,  like "a.m. or p.m."  wasn't circled. They do about everything backwards at Peer Scar. If you can tolerate total lunacy, poor treatment  and no pay for six weeks while being expected to run the tires off your car then this jobs for you. They claimed it eventually gets better, (but not by much). Had I been closer to the office it would of been better on my wallet and my car.

What is the best part of working at the company?
This is a particular field of Behavioral Health where you can truly make a practical difference in people’s lives. However, salary is based on billable hours from the time you sit with the Peer until you get their signature. There can be cancellations and it may take some time to get a Peer base to generate your income. Talk to them specifically about this. It is great. It can just be inconsistent at times.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to anticipate a budget against changes in Peers or their availability 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Wonderfully supportive. It has been my experience that they understand and will work with you as best as they can. They are very tolerant of their employees needs for time, space and self-care. I don’t think you will find a more caring place to work. Do t be afraid to talk immediately if frustrated about anything…even in your personal life

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You set your own schedule with your assigned people. Basically, you learn a pattern with each and as we are considered “Peers” you may even learn some good coping skills that they have discovered. You can arrange your day, calculating geography to recoup not only mileage ( first 10 not counted) but all after to your last Peer—as well as the time spent on the road. On line classes to keep certification are available on line not only for free, but you are paid for the time it takes you which is not only unique, you can plan one for the end of the day and book all the time and miles back to your home, entering this task as your last for your day that happened to be  in your home. You never meet your Peers there, just to clarify.

1. Regional Director at local office, as well as her supervisors, are self absorbed, rude, vengeful, and have no clue as how to hire. ( I know because I was previously in management with screening and hiring a main task)    
2. They are just trying to get bodies in the door to work the position because the majority quit after being on board a short time and realize that what they were told in the "interview" is so far opposite from reality
3. DO NOT expect a paycheck for 6 weeks. thats the average. 
4. DO EXPECT to travel an hour from your home to a client's home to make $12 for an hour session. Factor in your cost of gas for a 2 hour trip and the employee LOSES MONEY.  if you state your case professionally, you will be indirectly and directly threatened with disciplinary action and termination. (it happened to me and others with whom i worked with at the time)
5. DO EXPECT to receive texts and phone calls from the regional director late on friday nights, weekends, etc telling you what you must do or to do something SHE FORGOT. 
6. Total ineptitude in every facet. and it starts at the top.
7.  DO NOT EVER file or report valid complaint to compliance. it will not be handled and it will place your job in jeopardy.
8. I have personally witnessed forgery on documents (RDirector)
9. EXPECT to be questioned on every single timesheet. 
10. FYI... full time employment is impossible. benefits you will never get.

And that's what they sell you on. How much you'll be able to help others while having great pay and a flexible schedule! All that is true, the hourly pay is good and you're free to work any hours of the day that work for you and the people you're paired up with. Before you start working you'll have to take a two week training course, they pay for it, in Johnstown. They put you up in a hotel for those two weeks and you can bring along whoever you'd like. There's no compensation during that time for gas,mileage, or food. You'll most likely get paid while you're there for those two weeks of training, but after that expect to wait another month for your first real paycheck. Training is great, and they'll make you feel like a Rockstar ready to save the world. They'll also lead you to believe you'll have a lot of support, which is very far from the truth. This job is taxing ,very draining on your mental health because you'll be seeing a lot of people with low motivation to do better for themselves. You're not just checking in with them, you're sitting with them... FOR HOURS. So it does tend to get old quickly, especially when they try and use the services for transportation or when they text/ call after their service is finished -all the time -to your personal phone for petty reasons. 

Having worked as a CPS and CPSS for Peerstar, I have mixed feelings on my overall experience. As a CPS, I never felt support from my direct supervisor (CPSS) or upper-management, most always feeling my concerns were disregarded. As a CPSS, I felt very empowered, having the opportunity to supervise individuals working in the position I had once done, although I again was left feeling not supported by office staff and upper-management. As a CPS, training was inadequate and considering the work is independent, you are free to work alone without proper training and preparedness. For both roles, compensation was acceptable however specific to the CPS role, your hours/paycheck are dependent on the individuals you work with, if they show up, if they want to meet with you, etc. — I repeat — you don’t get paid if the peers you are assigned decide not to participate in services at any given time. This is a major downfall of this program and company, as sustainability wise for a full-time position is nearly impossible. If you are looking for something part-time and flexible, as well as are flexible yourself for scheduling, either CPS or CPSS may be the fit for you, so long as you need no support ongoing.

Showing up to a peerstar meeting feels like arriving late to a hackey sack convention. There is no professionalism, and acting like somebody who needs to enter recovery instead of modeling successful recovery is the norm.  Peers regularly engage in unprofessional behavior around peers and face no consequences.

The organization's unprofessionalism carries through to their record keeping and data management. How professional to improperly store your records and subject all your employees and peers to a data breech. Might as well find a group of paranoid people and tell them "hey guess what, people have your data and they ARE watching you..." real compassionate.  Honestly, the entire peer support community will be better off when peerstar goes out of business and the negative effect peerstar has had on the reputation of peer support from the provider perspective can begin to recover.  Many providers will not recommend peer services because of poor experiences with peer star peers.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health technician 38 salaries reported	$18.37 per hour
Support specialist 66 salaries reported	$18.92 per hour
Certified peer specialist 23 salaries reported	$31,859 per year
Regional director 9 salaries reported	$57,833 per year
Recovery specialist 5 salaries reported	$17.05 per hour

Working at Peerstar LLC: Company Overview and Reviews

Peerstar LLC

Peerstar LLC Ratings

Popular jobs at Peerstar LLC

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected