Peer Recovery Specialist

UnityPoint Health•Rock Island, IL

About The Position

Join Our Team as a Peer Recovery Specialist! Turn your lived experience into powerful impact. As a Peer Recovery Specialist, you’ll support individuals in psychiatric crisis using trauma-informed care, offering hope, guidance, and real understanding when it matters most. You’ll role model recovery, share your story to inspire, and help others overcome stigma, build resilience, and access the resources they need to move forward. If you’re passionate about helping others heal and grow - and ready to make a difference every day - we want to hear from you! Why UnityPoint Health? At UnityPoint Health, you matter. We’re proud to be recognized as a Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members. Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options that align with your needs and priorities, no matter what life stage you’re in. Here are just a few: Expect paid time off, parental leave, 401K matching and an employee recognition program . Dental and health insurance, paid holidays, short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members. Early access to earned wages with Daily Pay, tuition reimbursement to help further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family . With a collective goal to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together. And, we believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is a vital part of delivering an exceptional employment experience. Find a fulfilling career and make a difference with UnityPoint Health.

Requirements

Education: Requires a high school diploma or GED and a minimum of five years documented clinical experience in mental health or human services; or An individual possessing a certificate of psychiatric rehabilitation from a DHS-approved program, plus a high school diploma or GED, plus two years' documented experience in providing mental health services .
License(s)/Certification(s): Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training within 6 months of hire.
Experience: Must able to read, write, and communicate effectively.
Must have a lived experience with mental illness.

Responsibilities

Uses their personal experiences to develop meaningful and trusting relationships with patients and set an example of what patients can strive for in their recovery.
Provide crisis counseling to patients and families, excel in de-escalation techniques, and assist with developing and implementing recovery plans .
Handles some of the logistics of patient arrival and departure. This includes arranging transportation for the patient, managing follow-up appointments, and facilitating transfers to outside hospitals.
Works to build a community of both patients and staff that is supportive and conducive to patient growth and recovery. Through mentoring, they help patients regain a sufficient level of functioning so that they are able to resume advocating for themselves.
After an assessment by a crisis clinician, the peer recovery specialist helps facilitate referrals for the patient to the appropriate resource for continued assistance and treatment. They link patients with RYC services and various community organizations to provide support, particularly during transition from recovery back into the general community. This can include continued healthcare, housing, job assistance, and additional treatment services as well as support in the task of finding or re-integrating with friends, family, and outside communities.