Peer Recovery Specialist

Caring Health Center•Springfield, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Peer Recovery Specialist will build trusting, recovery-oriented rapport with clients who have substance use disorders (moderate or severe) and/or co-occurring mental health disorders. This role involves helping clients navigate the recovery system, linking them to wrap-around services, and providing initial and ongoing outreach to potential and current clients in the MAT/OBAT program. The specialist will collaborate with care team members, provide case management, identify and support linkages to community resources, and attend multidisciplinary case consultation meetings. Responsibilities also include coaching clients with in-home challenges, assisting with recovery goals and plans, maintaining documentation, promoting independence, and building collaboration with substance use facilities. Community outreach to organizations specializing in recovery support is a key aspect of this role, utilizing evidence-based practices like motivational interviewing and mindfulness exercises. Adherence to organizational policies, procedures, and HIPAA standards is required.

Requirements

Must have a minimum of a High School Diploma or equivalent; Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related field a plus.
Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) or Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC) required or in the process of attaining certification within 6-12 months of hire.
Oral and written fluency in English (fluency in another language a plus, such as Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, or Nepali). Bilingual skills are strongly preferred.
Build and maintain positive working relationships with the clients, providers, nurses, medical assistants, insurance navigators, agency representatives, supervisors and office staff.
Basic understanding of co-occurring disorders in mental health, medical and substance use.
Ability to work as a team member in delivery of the best possible care to clients from diagnosis to program release.
Experience conducting or organizing community outreach activities (familiarity with greater Springfield area a plus).
At least two years of working within the substance use and behavioral health setting.
Ability to listen actively, demonstrate responsiveness to team needs/requests, and integrate feedback thoughtfully and promptly.
Demonstrate utmost discretion and compliance with state, federal, and internal policies when handling confidential patient information.
Must display the use of appropriate independent judgment to determine appropriate course of action in resolving problems and in emergencies.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Complete proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Email, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides) applications.
Superior attention to detail and organizational abilities.
Ability to demonstrate cultural sensitivity with staff, teams, patients, stakeholders, and partners representing diverse cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, socioeconomic statuses, educational backgrounds, worldviews, literacy levels, and languages.
Personal transportation and flexibility to travel daily.
Valid driver’s license required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related field a plus.
Fluency in another language a plus, such as Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, or Nepali.
Familiarity with greater Springfield area a plus.

Responsibilities

Builds trusting, recovery-oriented rapport with clients who have substance use disorders (moderate or severe) and/or co-occurring mental health disorders, helping them navigate through the recovery system and link them to wrap around services.
Provides initial and ongoing outreach to potential and current clients who have persistent moderate to severe substance use disorders in the MAT/OBAT program.
Actively collaborate with care team members to provide optimal recovery-oriented care to clients.
Provide case management services to individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. This includes, but is not limited to coordinating services for clients and making necessary referrals to community resources.
Actively identify and support linkages to community resources that support clients’ recovery goals and interests. This will involve a collaborative effort including clients, agency staff and other relevant stakeholders.
Attends weekly multidisciplinary case consultation meetings to discuss ongoing progress or challenges of clients in the MAT/OBAT program.
Coaches and assists clients with in-home challenges such as personal hygiene, nutrition, wellness, etc. and provide linkages to recovery support resources.
Coaches and assists clients to establish recovery-oriented goals and recovery plans.
Maintain concise documentation of clients’ progress and challenges in addition to services offered; works closely with Clinical Supervisor to provide recommendations for planning out future directions.
Promotes independence and facilitates skill building.
Builds pathways for collaboration with substance use facilities to foster client engagement and an effective transition of care process.
Conduct outreach in the community as well as to multiple community organizations specializing in providing recovery support and resources in and around the Springfield area to increase client enrollment and engagement.
Utilizes motivational interviewing, mindfulness exercises, and other peer-supported, evidence-based practices, and works with clients in varying states of transition.
Adheres to organizational policies and procedures.
Maintains HIPPA standards and confidentiality of protected health information.