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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Certified Recovery Peer Specialist

💰 $36,000 - $52,000

Behavioral HealthPeer SupportRecovery Services

🎯 Role Definition

The Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (CRPS) is a credentialed, lived-experience professional who provides strengths-based, trauma-informed peer support and recovery coaching to people impacted by substance use disorders, mental health conditions, or co-occurring challenges. The CRPS builds trusting relationships, models recovery, advocates for client-centered care, facilitates access to community resources (housing, employment, benefits), conducts group and one-on-one recovery education, documents outcomes in electronic health record systems, and participates as an essential member of multidisciplinary treatment teams. This role emphasizes shame-free engagement, crisis de-escalation, relapse prevention, and measurable support toward individual recovery goals.

Keywords: Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, peer support, recovery coaching, substance use disorder, behavioral health, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, care coordination, CRPS, peer-led services.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Peer Support Specialist (non-certified) or Community Health Worker
  • Behavioral Health Technician, Recovery Support Worker, or Case Aide
  • Lived-experience volunteer roles in recovery programs

Advancement To:

  • Senior/Lead Certified Recovery Peer Specialist or Peer Supervisor
  • Recovery Program Coordinator or Case Manager
  • Behavioral Health Program Manager or Clinical Team Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Community Outreach Coordinator or Engagement Specialist
  • Housing Navigator, Benefits Specialist, or Employment Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Provide one-on-one peer support using lived experience to engage clients in recovery planning, goal-setting, and relapse prevention; coach clients through actionable, client-driven steps toward measurable outcomes.
  • Deliver strengths-based recovery coaching and support for activities of daily living, including transportation coordination, appointment accompaniment, and advocacy with providers and agencies.
  • Facilitate recovery education groups, mutual-help meetings, psychoeducational sessions, and peer-led workshops that build coping skills, wellness strategies, and community connection.
  • Conduct outreach and engagement in community settings, shelters, emergency departments, jails, and public spaces to locate, engage, and re-engage individuals who may benefit from peer services.
  • Create and maintain individualized recovery plans in collaboration with clients; review and revise plans regularly to reflect progress, setbacks, and changing needs.
  • Provide crisis intervention, de-escalation, and safety planning in emergent behavioral health situations; coordinate rapid referrals to clinical supports or emergency services when required.
  • Serve as an active member of multidisciplinary treatment teams, participating in treatment planning meetings, case conferences, and care coordination to ensure continuity of services.
  • Assist clients with system navigation: benefits enrollment (Medicaid/SSI), housing applications, employment referrals, legal and social services, and linkage to primary care and specialty behavioral health providers.
  • Support transitions of care by providing warm handoffs from inpatient/residential settings to community-based resources and by doing follow-up outreach post-discharge within defined timeframes.
  • Advocate on behalf of clients with landlords, employers, legal representatives, health plans, and social service agencies to remove barriers to recovery and access to supports.
  • Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential documentation of encounters, interventions, goals, and outcomes in the electronic health record (EHR) consistent with organizational policies and billing requirements.
  • Collect and report program data and client outcome measures for quality improvement, grant reporting, and adherence to performance metrics (e.g., retention, engagement, referral completion).
  • Deliver overdose prevention education, Narcan/Naloxone training and distribution, and harm reduction information consistent with local protocols and standing orders.
  • Use motivational interviewing, solution-focused techniques, and trauma-informed frameworks during engagement to increase client readiness, self-efficacy, and sustained behavior change.
  • Lead or co-facilitate structured peer support groups that emphasize relapse prevention planning, coping strategies, and peer role-modeling of recovery behaviors.
  • Provide mentoring and onboarding support to new peer staff, sharing best practices in boundaries, documentation, and ethical peer work.
  • Adhere to HIPAA, confidentiality, and professional boundary guidelines while maintaining authentic peer relationships and empathy-driven interactions.
  • Participate in regular clinical and peer supervision, continuing education, and credentialing renewal activities to ensure competency and compliance.
  • Identify gaps in local service systems and proactively collaborate with program leadership to develop or refine peer-delivered services that fill those gaps.
  • Support family members and natural supports through education and referral, helping to create a safer, recovery-oriented home environment and better family communication.
  • Assist clients with medication management supports by encouraging adherence, reminding about appointments, and facilitating access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs as appropriate.
  • Provide follow-up engagement within established windows (e.g., 24–72 hours post-contact) to reduce drop-out risk and increase retention in recovery supports and clinical care.
  • Monitor for signs of relapse or worsening mental health, document observations, and coordinate timely clinical interventions when indicated.
  • Participate in community outreach, public speaking, and stakeholder engagement to destigmatize substance use disorders and promote peer-led recovery services.

Secondary Functions

  • Contribute to program improvement initiatives by participating in data reviews, feedback sessions, and client experience surveys to enhance quality and impact.
  • Assist supervisors with outreach campaign planning, resource mapping, and partnership development with community organizations and faith-based groups.
  • Support grant writing and reporting by providing frontline insight and outcome data that demonstrate program effectiveness and funding needs.
  • Help maintain program materials, resource lists, and referral directories to ensure staff and clients have access to up-to-date community supports.
  • Represent the program at community meetings, coalitions, and provider networks to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and referral pathways.
  • Participate in staff training sessions and help develop peer-specific curricula that reflect evolving best practices and lived-experience perspectives.
  • Help track supplies (e.g., Narcan kits, harm reduction supplies) and report inventory needs to program management for timely replenishment.
  • Assist with scheduling and coordination of client appointments, group calendars, and community events as required.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Certified Recovery Peer Specialist credential or state-recognized peer certification (CRPS or equivalent) required; ability to maintain certification through continuing education.
  • Demonstrated lived experience in recovery from substance use and/or mental health conditions and ability to use lived experience ethically in peer practice.
  • Proficiency with electronic health records (EHR) and documentation best practices; ability to record client contacts, progress notes, and outcome measures accurately.
  • Knowledge of community resources including housing, employment services, benefits, legal aid, primary care, and specialty behavioral health providers.
  • Competency in Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques and other evidence-informed engagement strategies.
  • Crisis intervention, de-escalation, and safety planning skills; familiarity with local emergency response protocols.
  • Training and practical experience in overdose prevention and Narcan/Naloxone administration and distribution.
  • Understanding of trauma-informed care principles and ability to apply them to daily practice.
  • Familiarity with HIPAA, privacy regulations, and ethical boundaries in peer support practice.
  • Basic data collection and client outcome tracking skills for reporting and quality improvement purposes.

Soft Skills

  • Deep empathy and authenticity grounded in lived experience; ability to build rapport quickly with diverse clients.
  • Active listening and motivational communication that empower clients while maintaining professional boundaries.
  • Strong advocacy skills and confidence to represent client needs with providers, agencies, and systems.
  • Cultural humility and ability to work respectfully with varied identity groups and marginalized populations.
  • Resilience, adaptability, and stress-management skills in fast-paced or crisis environments.
  • Problem-solving and resourcefulness to identify practical solutions and link clients to services.
  • Teamwork and collaboration within multidisciplinary clinical and non-clinical teams.
  • Reliability, punctuality, and strong organizational skills to manage caseloads and follow-up tasks.
  • Ethical decision-making and ability to maintain confidentiality and trust.
  • Coaching mindset that supports client autonomy, accountability, and self-directed recovery.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High School Diploma or GED.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or coursework in Human Services, Behavioral Health, Psychology, Social Work, Addiction Studies, or related field.
  • Completion of state or agency-approved peer specialist training program.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Addiction Studies
  • Human Services
  • Social Work
  • Psychology
  • Public Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1 to 3 years of documented experience in peer support, recovery coaching, or related lived-experience roles; experience working with individuals with substance use disorders and/or serious mental illness preferred.

Preferred:

  • 2+ years of active recovery with documented time in sustained recovery and prior paid or volunteer experience delivering peer services.
  • Experience working in community outreach, emergency department follow-up, housing navigation, or integrated behavioral health settings.
  • Familiarity with state certification processes and previous experience documenting outcomes for program funding or quality metrics.
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