12 and Beyond Treatment Center is seeking a compassionate, dependable, and recovery-focused Peer Support Specialist to join our multidisciplinary behavioral health team. The Peer Support Specialist provides recovery-oriented support, encouragement, mentorship, and practical assistance to individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring mental health conditions.
The Peer Support Specialist appropriately uses lived experience with recovery, behavioral health, or related life challenges to help clients develop hope, confidence, accountability, self-advocacy, independence, and connection to a supportive recovery community.
This is a non-clinical recovery support position that works closely with clinical, medical, case management, and other treatment team members while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and remaining within the authorized scope of peer support services.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide individual and group-based peer support throughout the treatment and recovery process.
- Model healthy recovery behaviors, personal responsibility, effective communication, appropriate coping skills, and accountability.
- Help clients identify personal recovery goals, strengths, barriers, and available resources.
- Encourage participation in treatment, recovery activities, mutual-support meetings, and continuing-care services.
- Assist clients in developing recovery-oriented routines, life skills, and greater independence.
- Support clients as they transition between levels of care and prepare for discharge and continued recovery.
- Connect clients with recovery meetings, sober support networks, housing, transportation, employment services, community resources, and other appropriate supports.
- Facilitate peer support, recovery education, life-skills, and recovery-focused groups when appropriately trained and assigned.
- Provide encouragement and peer support to clients experiencing cravings, emotional distress, interpersonal challenges, or difficulty adjusting to treatment.
- Promptly refer clinical concerns, safety concerns, or situations outside the peer support scope to qualified clinical or supervisory staff.
- Reinforce treatment recommendations and recovery goals established by the clinical team without independently providing psychotherapy or clinical advice.
- Observe client behavior and promptly communicate significant changes, relapse warning signs, safety concerns, or behavioral issues to appropriate treatment team members.
- Complete timely, accurate, objective, and professional documentation of peer support services.
- Participate in treatment team meetings, staff meetings, supervision, training, and continuing education as required.
- Maintain appropriate professional and ethical boundaries with clients at all times.
- Protect client privacy and confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, organizational policies, and applicable laws and regulations.
- Follow facility policies regarding client safety, incident reporting, emergency procedures, medication boundaries, contraband, and program operations.
- Utilize trauma-informed, culturally responsive, person-centered, and recovery-oriented approaches.
- Perform additional duties reasonably related to the position as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
- Lived experience relevant to recovery and the ability to appropriately and professionally use that experience to support others.
- Demonstrated stability in personal recovery and ability to model healthy recovery principles.
- Ability to establish and maintain clear professional boundaries and client confidentiality.
- Strong communication, interpersonal, active-listening, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Ability to work effectively with individuals experiencing substance use disorders, mental health conditions, trauma histories, and other co-occurring challenges.
- Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary behavioral health treatment team.
- Basic computer and electronic documentation skills.
- Ability to successfully complete required background screening and other applicable employment requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Current Peer Support Specialist, Recovery Support Specialist, or equivalent certification recognized by the applicable state or credentialing authority.
- Previous experience in substance use treatment, behavioral health, residential treatment, detoxification, PHP, IOP, outpatient treatment, sober living, or recovery support.
- Training in motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, overdose prevention, harm reduction, or recovery coaching.
- CPR/First Aid certification when required by the facility.
Scope and Professional Boundaries
The Peer Support Specialist is a non-clinical recovery support position unless the employee separately holds an appropriate professional license and has been specifically authorized to perform clinical services.
Peer Support Specialists do not independently:
- Diagnose mental health or substance use disorders.
- Develop clinical treatment plans.
- Provide psychotherapy.
- Prescribe, recommend, or make clinical decisions regarding medications.
- Provide clinical advice or interventions outside their authorized training and scope.
- Perform duties reserved for appropriately licensed or credentialed clinical professionals.
The Peer Support Specialist is expected to recognize situations that require clinical intervention and promptly communicate those concerns to the appropriate clinical or supervisory staff.
Core Competencies
- Recovery-oriented and person-centered approach
- Empathy and active listening
- Healthy professional boundaries
- Reliability and accountability
- Crisis awareness and appropriate escalation
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Cultural humility
- Trauma-informed communication
- Confidentiality and ethical conduct
- Documentation and organization
- Resourcefulness and problem-solving
- Compassionate and nonjudgmental client interaction
Physical and Work Requirements
The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation. Depending on the program setting, duties may require standing, walking, sitting, participating in activities throughout the facility, responding promptly to client needs, and working within an active behavioral healthcare environment.
Some evening, weekend, or holiday availability may be required depending on program operations and the employee's assigned schedule.
What We Offer
- Competitive compensation
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Paid sick days
- Paid holidays
- Supportive multidisciplinary treatment environment
- Professional development and training opportunities
- Opportunity to use lived experience to make a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals working toward recovery
- Opportunity to help clients develop the skills, confidence, and community connections necessary for long-term recovery
Commitment to Client Care
All employees of 12 and Beyond Treatment Center are expected to contribute to a safe, respectful, ethical, compassionate, and recovery-focused environment. Staff members are expected to treat every client with dignity and respect and support individualized treatment and recovery without discrimination, stigma, judgment, or exploitation.
12 and Beyond Treatment Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
This job description describes the general nature and level of work expected for this position and is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Responsibilities may be modified based on program needs and applicable federal, state, licensing, accreditation, and credentialing requirements.
Pay: From $19.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
