Peer Recovery Specialist or CPRS - NEW Crisis Receiving Center

Peer Support Specialist

Hours: full-time (37.5 hours per week), 12.5-hour night shifts with a 3-day per week, full-time schedule.

Location: Lynchburg, VA, 24501

Why Be A Peer With Horizon?

• Quality behavioral health training from a Central Virginia Community Services Board in operation for 50+ years
• Retirement plan through the Virginia State Retirement System (VRS)
• Generous paid annual leave

Position Summary

The Peer Support Specialist (PSS) provides compassionate, person-centered support to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises by drawing from their own lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery. The PSS works collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team within the Crisis Receiving Center to assist clients in achieving stabilization and accessing ongoing support and resources.

Required Education And Experience

• High School Diploma / GED
• At least one continuous year of sustained recovery for persons having lived experience with mental illness or substance use.
• CPRS or similar peer support credential preferred, or ability to obtain certification within 6 months of hire.

Related Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

Knowledge of local behavioral health systems, resources, and recovery communities. Strong interpersonal, communication, and active listening skills. Ability to remain calm in high-stress situations and to support others in de-escalation. Commitment to recovery principles, person-first language, and trauma-informed care. Basic computer proficiency for documentation and communication. Knowledge of services and systems available in the community, including primary health care, support services, and generic community resources; knowledge of the nature of the recovery process, including the use of established standardized mental health, substance use, and co-occurring processes; knowledge of basic problem-solving strategies to support individuals in self-directed recovery. Ability to identify and document an individual's need for resources, services, and other supports; ability to develop recovery, resiliency, and wellness plans by integrating information obtained from informal assessments, evaluations, observations, and interviews; ability to promote services, supports, and strategies for the recovery process; ability to utilize personal experience to support others in recovery; ability to work as a member of a team, maintaining effective, professional working relationships with individuals within the agency as well as those in the community.

Willing and available to work modified schedules (weekends, holidays, etc.) as required. Ability to drive and must possess a valid driver's license. May be called upon to travel to any Horizon worksite; transport clients, provide services to clients at other locations. Ability to participate in and successfully pass behavioral intervention training; includes both verbal de-escalation skills and physical skills techniques to be utilized with consumers as needed.

The Best Benefits For Those Who Take Care Of The Community

We're proud to offer some of the best benefits options in Central Virginia. Participation in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) is exclusively for public service workers in Virginia, while several options exist for life, health, dental, and vision insurance. Emphasis on work-life balance means a generous annual leave policy, ensuring time for wellness, with separate time allocated for sick leave and additionally for paid holidays. Stay active with Horizon's annual wellness programs and various opportunities to interact with the community throughout the year. Horizon's clinical sites are NHSC/HRSA-approved for clinical student loan repayment, and qualify for both the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and the Behavioral Health State Loan Repayment (BHLRP) programs. If you are interested in continuing your education, working at Horizon qualifies you to receive discounts at some local universities.