Peer Support Specialist (Crisis Walk-in) (Weekend Day & 4 Days Off Each Week + $40/hr Potential)

WEA CA PC•Indio, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Wellness Equity Alliance is a national multidisciplinary health organization that designs and delivers integrated, community-based care for populations most impacted by health inequities. We do this through mobile and field-based models, providing medical care, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, harm reduction, and care coordination in nontraditional settings such as encampments, schools, reentry sites, and rural communities as well as with sovereign tribal nations. Grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and data-driven practices, WEA combines clinical expertise, lived experience, and advanced population health analytics to reduce barriers to care, improve continuity, and strengthen local systems. We have partnered with more than 60 public agencies, managed care plans, and community-based organizations across the U.S. to implement scalable, sustainable programs that are advancing health equity and improving outcomes for historically marginalized populations. WEA’s Crisis Walk-In (CWI) Center, located on the behavioral health campus of Riverside University Health System in Indio, CA, offers 24/7 walk-in, voluntary crisis services for adults and children ages 5 and older. Designed to provide immediate, accessible care, the center serves up to 20 patients at a time, including both youth and adults. As a Peer Support Specialist working the highly valued Weekend Day Shift (Thur–Sat), you are the essential cornerstone of our crisis team. You are celebrated for your commitment to serving our community during these less popular hours, a commitment we honor with enhanced compensation, including the weekend differential that contributes to a total potential pay of up to $40.00/hr. You are the warm welcome and the living proof that recovery is not just possible, but happening right now. Serving as the front-line expert for adults entering our Crisis Walk-In (CWI) center, you are a Peer-Expert who uses your own authentic lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery to build immediate, non-clinical rapport with neighbors in their most vulnerable moments. In this pivotal role, you bridge the gap between crisis and stability, working alongside a multidisciplinary clinical team to meet every individual with dignity rather than a diagnosis. Your presence ensures that in moments of greatest need—whether de-escalating a tense situation or co-creating a safety plan—fear is replaced with hope, and no one walks their recovery path alone.

Requirements

Personal, lived experience with mental health challenges and/or substance use recovery.
Comfortable and skilled at using your own recovery journey as a professional tool to inspire hope and model stability for others.
Must possess (or obtain within 6 months of hire) a valid Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification issued by the California Mental Health Services Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA).
High School Diploma or GED equivalent or higher is required.
Ability to remain grounded and empathetic in a fast-paced, high-intensity clinical environment.
Strong verbal and written skills for documenting peer notes and collaborating with a multidisciplinary clinical team.
A deep commitment to serving a diverse population in the Coachella Valley with dignity and respect.
Must be able to pass a standard background check and drug screening (consistent with healthcare facility requirements).
Must have reliable transportation to the Indio site for 7:00 AM shift starts.

Nice To Haves

Certified Parent, Caregiver, and Family Member (CPCF) Specialization highly preferred.
Youth/Transition-Age Youth (TAY) Peer Specialization highly preferred.
Ability to provide peer support in fluent Spanish (qualifies for a pay differential).
Existing training in Intentional Peer Support (IPS), WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), or Motivational Interviewing.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for adults entering in distress, using lived experience to model calm and hope while lowering the "temperature" of the room.
Utilize non-clinical, peer-based de-escalation techniques (such as the "Intentional Peer Support" model) to build immediate rapport and prevent the need for more restrictive interventions.
Monitor the "Front Door" energy, proactively engaging with participants who appear overwhelmed or anxious before a crisis peaks.
Facilitate the creation of individualized Safety Plans that focus on the participant's strengths, triggers, and preferred coping strategies—not just "contracting for safety."
Support participants in the vulnerable hours following a clinical assessment, helping them process their experience and internalize their immediate stabilization goals.
Introduce participants to wellness tools (like WRAP or similar frameworks) that they can take home as tangible resources for self-management.
Personally assist participants in navigating the "Front Door" of social services, housing resources, and outpatient programs.
Act as the liaison between the CWIC and community-based peer organizations, ensuring participants have a "peer-to-peer" connection waiting for them upon discharge.
Educate participants on how to advocate for their own needs within the behavioral health system, empowering them to become active participants in their care.
Participate in multidisciplinary team huddles to provide the peer perspective on participant care, ensuring the team sees the person behind the crisis.
Maintain accurate, timely, and person-centered documentation that reflects the participant’s progress and the unique value of the peer intervention.