Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Recovery Support Practitioner

🎯 Role Definition

The Recovery Support Practitioner (RSP) delivers trauma-informed, person-centered recovery supports to individuals affected by substance use disorder, co-occurring mental health conditions, and other behavioral health needs. Working alongside clinical teams and community partners, the RSP provides peer-based engagement, intensive case coordination, crisis stabilization, relapse prevention planning, and sustained linkage to community resources to help clients build and maintain long-term recovery and wellness.

Primary SEO focus: Recovery Support Practitioner, peer support, community-based recovery, SUD recovery, behavioral health case management.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Peer Recovery Coach / Peer Specialist
Behavioral Health Technician / Residential Counselor
Case Aide or Community Health Worker

Advancement To:

Senior Recovery Support Practitioner / Lead Peer Specialist
Case Manager / Care Coordinator
Program Manager for Peer Recovery Services
Clinical roles with additional licensure (e.g., LCSW, LPC)

Lateral Moves:

Community Outreach Coordinator
Substance Use Disorder Counselor (with certification)
Transitional Housing Program Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide one-on-one peer recovery support using lived experience and motivational interviewing techniques to engage clients, build trust, and create client-driven recovery goals and plans.
Conduct comprehensive intake and needs assessments (social determinants of health screening, housing, benefits, employment, legal needs) and document findings in the agency electronic health record (EHR).
Develop, implement, and regularly update individualized recovery plans that include relapse prevention strategies, harm reduction options, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) support, and connections to counseling or clinical services.
Facilitate crisis intervention and de-escalation for clients experiencing acute substance use relapse, mental health crisis, or imminent safety concerns, coordinating with clinical staff and emergency services as needed.
Coordinate care by arranging referrals and warm handoffs to treatment providers, primary care, housing agencies, vocational services, and social supports, and follow up to ensure engagement and continuity.
Provide short-term case management: assist clients with benefits enrollment, transportation coordination, appointment scheduling, medication reminders, and advocacy with providers and payors.
Lead or co-facilitate structured recovery support groups, psychoeducational workshops, and community-based mutual aid meetings that promote peer connection and skill-building.
Provide active outreach and engagement in the community, shelters, hospitals, jails, and emergency departments to link individuals to recovery resources and immediate supports.
Support clients with harm reduction education and supplies (e.g., naloxone distribution, syringe access information), basic overdose prevention training, and safe use planning when applicable.
Assist clients with practical life skills coaching including budgeting, employment readiness, conflict resolution, and relapse trigger identification and coping skills.
Monitor client progress toward goals through regular check-ins, strengths-based progress notes, outcome tracking, and use of recovery metrics to inform service planning.
Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant documentation in EHR systems, prepare progress notes, treatment plans, and discharge summaries consistent with organizational and regulatory requirements (HIPAA, CARF, state guidelines).
Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, case conferences, and treatment planning sessions to ensure recovery supports are integrated into clinical care.
Provide family engagement and education with client consent — offering guidance to family members about recovery, relapse prevention, boundary setting, and community resources.
Respond to after-hours or on-call client needs as defined by program policy, providing crisis navigation, stabilization strategies, and referrals to emergency services when required.
Serve as a client advocate with landlords, employers, courts, and social service agencies to remove barriers to recovery and secure resources such as housing, benefits, and employment supports.
Conduct follow-up and retention efforts for clients recently discharged from detox, residential treatment, or hospitalization to reduce relapse and readmission rates.
Deliver outreach and linkage to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD/MAT) providers, support medication adherence strategies, and collaborate with prescribing clinicians.
Teach and model relapse prevention skills, coping strategies, and recovery maintenance techniques during individual sessions and groups.
Share lived experience appropriately as a peer mentor to normalize challenges and demonstrate strategies for long-term recovery, always maintaining professional boundaries.
Collect and report program data, client outcome measures, and service utilization statistics to support quality improvement initiatives and funding requirements.
Assist with program development, continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities, and fidelity monitoring for peer-based recovery services.
Identify systemic gaps and trends in client needs and recommend service enhancements or community partnerships to improve access to recovery supports.
Provide culturally responsive, nonjudgmental supports that recognize diverse identities, including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, veterans, immigrants, and people with co-occurring disorders.

Secondary Functions

Support periodic program reporting and ad-hoc data requests for funders and leadership, ensuring accuracy of recovery metrics.
Participate in outreach events, community health fairs, and stakeholder meetings to promote recovery services and strengthen community partnerships.
Contribute to the organization’s peer workforce development by mentoring new RSPs and participating in training on best practices and ethical standards.
Help maintain inventories of harm reduction supplies, naloxone kits, and program materials; coordinate distribution logistics.
Collaborate with quality improvement teams to refine documentation workflows and measurement tools for peer-delivered services.
Assist with grant reporting, client testimonials, and success story collection for marketing and sustainability efforts (with client consent).

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Certified Peer Specialist / Peer Recovery Coach credential (state or nationally recognized) or equivalent lived-experience certification.
Proficiency with electronic health records (EHR) systems and accurate clinical documentation (examples: Epic, Credible, Availity, Google Workspace).
Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques for engagement and behavior change.
Crisis intervention and de-escalation skills, including safety planning and risk assessment.
Familiarity with substance use screening tools and assessments (e.g., AUDIT, DAST, CAGE, ASAM criteria).
Knowledge of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT/MOUD) models and ability to support clients accessing medication-based care.
Harm reduction practices, naloxone administration training, and overdose prevention knowledge.
Case management competencies: referral management, benefit navigation (Medicaid, SNAP), and housing support coordination.
Data collection and basic program outcome reporting; ability to track metrics like engagement rates and retention.
Understanding of confidentiality laws and professional ethics (HIPAA, mandated reporting requirements).

Soft Skills

Deep empathy and the ability to build rapport quickly using lived experience and active listening.
Strong verbal communication and motivational coaching skills.
Cultural humility and ability to provide trauma-informed care across diverse populations.
Boundary-setting and professional resilience while maintaining a peer-based approach.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to navigate complex social service systems.
Team collaboration and ability to contribute to multidisciplinary treatment planning.
Time management, organization, and ability to manage a caseload and competing priorities.
Adaptability and flexibility to work in community settings, varied shifts, and on-call rotations.
Advocacy skills to effectively negotiate on behalf of clients with external partners.
Conflict resolution and mediation skills to support family or service-provider discussions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required; equivalent combination of education and lived experience acceptable. Certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist or similar strongly preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate or Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, Counseling, Public Health, or a related field.
Completion of accredited peer support training programs and continuing education in SUD and trauma-informed care.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Social Work
Psychology
Human Services
Counseling
Public Health
Addiction Studies / Recovery Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–3 years of direct peer support, recovery coaching, or behavioral health outreach; experience in substance use disorder recovery settings highly preferred.

Preferred:

2+ years providing peer recovery support or case management in community or clinical settings.
Experience with outreach in emergency departments, shelters, correctional facilities, or mobile response teams.
Demonstrated success in engaging hard-to-reach populations and linking them to sustained services.