Certified Peer Support

About This Role

As a Certified Peer Specialist, you will provide peer support and advocacy to individuals living with mental health conditions or substance use disorders, leveraging your own lived experience of recovery. You will serve as a role model, mentor, and resource for clients navigating their paths toward wellness and recovery.

Responsibilities

• Build trusting relationships with clients based on mutual respect, empathy, and shared experiences
• Offer encouragement, validation, and practical guidance to individuals facing similar challenges on their recovery journey
• Collaborate with clients to develop individualized recovery plans that reflect their strengths, goals, and preferences
• Provide psychoeducation on mental health and recovery topics, including symptom management, medication adherence, self-care practices, and coping skills
• Advocate for clients' rights, preferences, and needs within the healthcare system and community settings
• Facilitate peer-led support groups, workshops, and wellness activities focused on topics such as mindfulness, resilience, stigma reduction, and self-advocacy
• Offer non-clinical support and crisis intervention to individuals experiencing emotional distress or acute symptoms
• Work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, including therapists, physicians, nurses, and other peer specialists
• Assist clients in building social connections, accessing community resources, and participating in meaningful activities that promote recovery, wellness, and community inclusion
• Maintain accurate and confidential records of client interactions, service plans, progress notes, and outcomes

Requirements

• Lived experience of recovery from a mental health condition or substance use disorder, as demonstrated by personal experience and completion of a Certified Peer Specialist training program
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Strong interpersonal skills and the capacity to establish rapport, build trust, and maintain professional boundaries with clients
• Knowledge of recovery-oriented principles, trauma-informed care, and person-centered approaches

Qualifications

• Lived experience of recovery from a mental health condition or substance use disorder

Nice to Have

• Certification as a Peer Support Specialist or Certified Peer Specialist (CPS)
• Familiarity with community resources, mental health services, and peer support networks in the local area

Skills

* Required skills

Certifications