Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Certified Peer Support Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

A Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) is a trained, credentialed person with lived experience of mental health or substance use recovery who provides empathetic, recovery-oriented support to others. CPSSs deliver peer-led advocacy, strengths-based coaching, and practical supports across clinical and community settings — including outpatient programs, crisis stabilization, mobile outreach, inpatient units, and community recovery centers. This role emphasizes recovery-focused engagement, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, structured documentation, and collaborative treatment planning to improve engagement, reduce hospitalizations, and support long-term recovery goals.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Peer Support Volunteer or Recovery Mentor in community programs
Behavioral Health Technician or Residential Counselor with lived experience
Community Outreach or Harm Reduction Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Peer Support Specialist / Lead Peer
Peer Program Coordinator or Supervisor
Recovery Services Manager or Certified Peer Trainer
Community Outreach Program Manager or Case Manager

Lateral Moves:

Recovery Coach / Recovery Navigator
Care Coordinator or Behavioral Health Specialist
Crisis Response Team Member or Mobile Crisis Peer Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide scheduled one-on-one recovery support sessions using person-centered, strengths-based techniques to help individuals develop and pursue individualized recovery plans and measurable wellness goals.
Engage clients with lived experience by building rapport, modeling recovery behaviors, and sharing recovery tools and resources that increase hope, self-efficacy, and sustained engagement in services.
Conduct outreach and initial engagement activities in community settings, shelters, hospitals, and via mobile response to connect individuals to treatment, housing, food, employment training, and peer-led support groups.
Facilitate and co-facilitate peer-led groups, educational workshops, relapse prevention sessions, and recovery skill-building classes using trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices.
Provide empathetic crisis stabilization and de-escalation support at the bedside or in the community, coordinating with clinical teams to ensure safety plans and next-step referrals are executed.
Assist individuals in navigating clinical systems and social services, including appointment reminders, transportation coordination, benefits enrollment support, and warm handoffs to clinical providers.
Use motivational interviewing and solution-focused brief interventions to help clients identify personal strengths, set short-term objectives, and maintain progress toward long-term recovery milestones.
Deliver structured pre- and post-discharge peer support to reduce readmissions, ensuring clients have safety plans, medication support resources, and active connections to community-based aftercare.
Maintain accurate, timely documentation of all peer contacts, progress notes, and outcomes in electronic health records (EHR) or case management systems, adhering to organizational and regulatory standards.
Participate in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings to represent the peer perspective, advocate for client-driven goals, and collaborate on coordinated care plans.
Provide relapse prevention education and overdose prevention training, including distribution and training on naloxone (where applicable), safe use practices, and harm reduction strategies.
Conduct strengths-based assessments and intake interviews that capture recovery capital, risk factors, housing status, employment needs, and social supports to inform individualized care plans.
Support family engagement and psychoeducation activities by offering peer-informed guidance, family-focused recovery resources, and strategies for creating supportive home environments.
Track and report key performance metrics such as engagement rates, housing placements, service linkage status, and reduction in crisis incidents to support program evaluation and continuous improvement.
Mentor and support new or junior peer staff through onboarding, shadowing, and modeling ethical peer boundaries, informed consent, and confidentiality practices.
Provide culturally competent outreach and support to diverse populations, including LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, immigrant communities, and people with co-occurring disorders.
Assist with benefits advocacy and paperwork completion (e.g., Medicaid, SSI/SSDI, housing applications) by offering hands-on support and referrals to legal or benefits specialists as needed.
Lead client-centered wellness planning that integrates employment, education, community engagement, and voluntary recovery supports to promote long-term independence.
Participate in quality assurance activities, chart reviews, and case audits, implementing corrective actions and best practices to ensure fidelity to peer service models.
Actively engage in continuing education, credential maintenance, and supervision sessions to ensure practice remains evidence-informed and consistent with state certification standards.

Secondary Functions

Support community outreach campaigns and represent the organization at local coalitions, recovery events, and stakeholder meetings to build referral networks and raise program visibility.
Assist with program intake triage and scheduling, including call coverage for crisis lines or warm-line shifts on an as-needed basis.
Collaborate with data and administrative staff to ensure accurate caseload tracking, outcome reporting, and grant-required documentation for funding compliance.
Participate in program development by providing lived-experience input on new service design, curricula for peer groups, and client-facing materials.
Provide ad hoc training sessions to clinical and non-clinical staff about the peer role, recovery principles, stigma reduction, and integrating peers into treatment teams.
Serve as a community liaison for discharge planning with shelters, housing providers, and community health partners to facilitate smooth transitions and continuity of support.
Support fundraising or grant-writing efforts by contributing qualitative client stories, program outcomes, and operational insights to strengthen proposals.
Cover on-call shifts or provide limited evening/weekend peer support where programs require extended coverage for client-facing services.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Certified Peer Support Specialist credential as required by state or jurisdiction; knowledge of certification renewal and continuing education requirements.
Proficiency documenting client interactions in Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems or case management platforms (e.g., Credible, Epic, or similar).
Strong knowledge of crisis intervention techniques and safety planning, including familiarity with local emergency resources and hospital diversion pathways.
Competence in motivational interviewing, solution-focused brief therapy techniques, and basic behavioral activation strategies used in peer practice.
Experience with harm reduction practices, naloxone distribution and training, overdose prevention strategies, and safe use education.
Ability to complete assessments related to recovery capital, housing needs, and social determinants of health to inform care coordination.
Familiarity with community resources for housing, employment, transportation, benefits, legal aid, and vocational services to facilitate warm referrals.
Basic data collection and outcome-tracking skills: understanding of metrics such as engagement rates, readmission reduction, and service linkage outcomes.
Ability to use common office software and communication tools (Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, telehealth platforms, email, and scheduling tools).
Knowledge of confidentiality best practices (HIPAA) and ethical boundaries specific to peer support roles, including dual relationships and self-disclosure guidelines.
Experience delivering group facilitation and presentation skills for leading recovery groups, workshops, and community education sessions.
Understanding of co-occurring disorders and integrated care approaches to collaborate effectively with clinical teams.

Soft Skills

Authentic empathy and active listening grounded in lived experience; able to build trust quickly with clients facing crisis or ambivalence.
Strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills for advocacy, coordination, and collaborative treatment planning.
Cultural humility and adaptability to respectfully engage individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
Resilience and self-awareness with the capacity to manage vicarious trauma, maintain healthy boundaries, and seek supervision when needed.
Problem-solving orientation and resourcefulness to identify practical supports and navigate complex systems for clients.
Teamwork and collaboration skills to function effectively within interdisciplinary clinical teams and community partnerships.
Time management and organizational abilities for managing a caseload, scheduling outreach, and meeting documentation deadlines.
Motivational leadership to inspire clients toward recovery goals without imposing directives — facilitating autonomy and empowerment.
Conflict resolution and de-escalation capabilities to manage tense interactions safely and respectfully.
Professionalism and reliability, including punctuality for shifts, responsiveness to referrals, and maintenance of required certifications.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED; state certification as a Certified Peer Support Specialist (or eligibility and commitment to obtain certification within a defined onboarding period).

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or coursework in behavioral health, psychology, social work, or human services preferred but not required.
Completion of accredited peer specialist training programs, trauma-informed care courses, and certifications in motivational interviewing or crisis intervention.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Peer Support, Recovery Studies, or Addiction Studies
Behavioral Health, Human Services, or Social Work
Psychology, Counseling, or Community Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

0–3 years of paid peer support experience; many employers accept lived experience plus volunteer peer work as qualifying experience.

Preferred:

1–2 years of professional peer support or recovery coaching in community, clinical, or crisis settings.
Demonstrated experience working with populations experiencing substance use disorders, serious mental illness, homelessness, or justice-involved individuals.
Experience collaborating with clinical staff and participating in multidisciplinary treatment teams, and familiarity with state/local behavioral health systems.