Certified Peer Support Specialist

Job Description

Job Description:Job Title: Peer Support Specialist_ASAM 2.1 Intensive Outpatient Program Type and FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Reports To: Clinical Director Salary: $21-$24/ hourLast updated: 08.2026ABOUT HER CAMPAIGNHER Campaign is a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals impacted by substance use disorders, trauma, and co-occurring mental health needs, including survivors of human trafficking. Since our founding in 2016, HER Campaign has supported individuals through crisis intervention, stabilization, and various stages of recovery and restoration.Our mission is to empower individuals to heal, grow, and discover purpose through a continuum of care that integrates safe environments, trauma-informed practices, therapeutic support, spiritual support, and community connection. We are committed to creating environments where individuals can stabilize physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually while being supported in their journey toward healing, recovery, and long-term restoration.Rooted in the belief that “Hospitality Comes First,” HER Campaign fosters a culture of dignity, respect, compassion, accountability, and excellence. We believe every individual deserves to be treated with honor and provided with the support, resources, and opportunities necessary to pursue healing and a future of hope.Through its affiliated licensed entities, HER Campaign supports the development and operation of substance use disorder and related supportive services designed to meet the needs of individuals with substance use disorders, including individuals with co-occurring mental health needs. Programs may also serve individuals with trauma histories and other complex needs, including survivors of human trafficking. Services are provided through appropriately licensed entities in accordance with applicable state licensing requirements, regulatory standards, payer requirements, and evidence-based practices, including the ASAM Criteria when applicable.HER Campaign provides mission alignment, organizational leadership, administrative infrastructure, and operational support to strengthen the delivery of safe, effective, compassionate, and person-centered services across its programs and locations.PROGRAM PHILOSOPHYHER Campaign supports trauma-informed, person-centered, strengths-based, and holistic recovery environments that recognize the integration of mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual well-being.Programs are designed to meet individuals where they are and provide appropriate support based on their needs, goals, level of care, and recovery journey. Services are delivered in a manner that promotes dignity, safety, accountability, personal responsibility, connection, and hope.Licensed substance use disorder services are provided through affiliated licensed entities in accordance with applicable state licensing requirements, regulatory standards, payer requirements, and evidence-based practices, including the ASAM Criteria when applicable.Spiritual support may be incorporated into services and activities consistent with the individual's preferences and goals. Participation in spiritual activities is voluntary and client-centered.POSITION OVERVIEW This position requires current Certified Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (CBHPSS) certification for the provision of Medicaid-reimbursable peer support services. The Peer Support Specialist serves as a non-clinical, lived-experience support professional within HER Campaign Recovery Services' outpatient substance use disorder program, including individuals receiving ASAM Level 2.1 Intensive Outpatient services. Peer Support Specialists provide individualized, recovery-oriented support designed to promote hope, personal wellness, self-direction, recovery skills, community connection, and sustained engagement in recovery. Peer support services are provided primarily through individual, one-to-one encounters and may occur within the outpatient facility or in appropriate community-based settings consistent with the client's individualized treatment plan, recovery goals, organizational policy, payer requirements, and the scope of practice of the CBHPSS. Peer Support Specialists intentionally and appropriately use lived experience with recovery to build rapport, model recovery, strengthen recovery capital, support development and restoration of skills, promote self-advocacy, provide peer-based crisis and relapse support, facilitate use of community resources, and assist clients in developing and restoring healthy social support networks.This is a non-clinical peer support role. The Peer Support Specialist does not provide psychotherapy, counseling, diagnosis, clinical assessment, clinical screening, or independently develop or modify treatment plans. Peer Support Specialists work collaboratively with qualified clinical staff and other members of the interdisciplinary treatment team while maintaining a clearly defined peer role.Medicaid-reimbursable peer support services must be provided by an appropriately certified CBHPSS and must be medically necessary, reflected in the client's individualized treatment plan, documented in the client's treatment record, and delivered under the supervision of qualified clinical staff in accordance with Montana Medicaid requirements, CBHPSS certification standards, organizational policy, and applicable payer requirements.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Individual Peer Support & Recovery Coaching Provides individualized, non-clinical peer support using shared lived experience to promote hope, engagement, self-direction, personal responsibility, and sustained recovery. Provides coaching designed to help clients develop, restore, and strengthen skills necessary for successful recovery and community living. Helps clients identify personal strengths, recovery assets, barriers to recovery, and opportunities to increase recovery capital. Models healthy recovery behaviors, coping strategies, problem-solving, self-care, accountability, and development of a recovery-oriented lifestyle. Supports clients in applying recovery skills to real-life situations and challenges encountered outside of structured treatment services. Encourages continued participation in clinically recommended treatment and recovery-support services while maintaining the non-clinical scope of the peer role.Self-Advocacy & Recovery Empowerment Helps clients develop skills necessary to communicate their needs, preferences, goals, and concerns effectively. Supports clients in strengthening self-advocacy and increasing their ability to participate actively in their own recovery. Encourages informed decision-making, personal responsibility, self-direction, and increased independence. Uses lived experience appropriately to demonstrate that recovery is possible while respecting each client's individual pathway, beliefs, preferences, and goals. Crisis and Relapse Support (Non-Clinical) Provides peer-based crisis and relapse support through encouragement, recovery-focused problem-solving, lived-experience support, and connection with appropriate clinical or community resources. Helps clients recognize and use established recovery supports and coping strategies during periods of increased vulnerability Supports clients following relapse or recurrence of substance use by encouraging re-engagement in treatment, recovery supports, and established recovery goals without judgment or punitive response. Immediately communicates observed safety concerns, significant changes in presentation, or concerns requiring clinical evaluation to qualified clinical staff in accordance with organizational policy. Does not independently assess, diagnose, or clinically manage behavioral health emergencies. Community Resource Facilitation and Recovery Capital Facilitates clients' use of community resources that support recovery, stability, wellness, and successful community living. Assists clients in identifying and engaging with appropriate recovery resources, mutual-help or recovery communities, healthcare resources, housing resources, employment and educational supports, transportation resources, legal and social-service resources, and other community supports consistent with identified recovery needs. Supports clients in navigating barriers to accessing community resources and building the confidence and skills necessary to use those resources independently. May accompany or meet clients in appropriate community settings when the activity constitutes an individualized peer support intervention connected to an identified recovery goal and is permitted by organizational policy and payer requirements. Helps clients establish, restore, and strengthen healthy social and recovery-support networks. Encourages development of meaningful community connection, sober recreation, healthy relationships, and other sources of natural support.Transportation of a client, by itself, does not constitute a Medicaid-reimbursable peer support service. When transportation occurs in connection with an allowable peer support activity, documentation must accurately reflect the peer support intervention provided and must comply with organizational and payer requirements. Outpatient Program Engagement Welcomes and engages clients entering outpatient and intensive outpatient services from a peer perspective and helps reduce anxiety, stigma, and other barriers to treatment engagement. Explains the role and purpose of peer support services and assists clients in understanding how peer services can support their individualized recovery goals. Encourages engagement and retention in treatment and recovery-support services. Collaborates with the interdisciplinary treatment team to support continuity of care and recovery goals established through the client's individualized treatment plan. Does not conduct clinical admissions, diagnostic assessments, clinical screenings, level-of-care determinations, or treatment-planning decisions.Individualized Treatment Plan Coordination Provides peer support consistent with identified peer-support goals contained within the client's individualized treatment plan. Communicates relevant information regarding client engagement, recovery barriers, resource needs, and progress toward peer-support goals to appropriate members of the treatment team while maintaining the distinct non-clinical peer role. Participates in treatment-team communication and coordination as appropriate to ensure peer services remain responsive to the client's identified needs and goals. Does not independently establish clinical treatment goals, modify the treatment plan, determine medical necessity, or make clinical treatment decisions.Documentation & Confidentiality Maintains confidentiality of substance use disorder treatment information in accordance with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, and organizational confidentiality policies, including appropriate handling of protected health information and release of information requirements. Completes timely, accurate documentation of each peer support encounter in accordance with Montana Medicaid requirements, organizational policy, and applicable payer standards. Documentation clearly identifies the individualized peer support service provided, its relationship to an identified treatment-plan/recovery goal, the client's participation and response, and relevant progress or continuing recovery needs. Documentation reflects actual peer-support interventions and avoids clinical assessment, diagnosis, interpretation, psychotherapy language, or treatment-planning content outside the CBHPSS scope. Maintains strict confidentiality and limits access to protected health information (PHI) to authorized personnel only. Understands that Medicaid-reimbursable CBHPSS services are individual services and that group peer support is not reimbursable under Montana Medicaid's adult SUD CBHPSS benefit. Ensures services submitted as Medicaid-reimbursable peer support represent actual allowable peer-support interventions and are not solely transportation, administrative activity, social contact, or other non-covered activity.Professional Boundaries and Scope of Practice Maintains clear professional boundaries while appropriately utilizing lived experience as a therapeutic recovery-support tool. Maintains fidelity to the CBHPSS role and provides only services within the individual's certification, training, competency, and organizational authorization. Recognizes when a client's needs require clinical assessment, counseling, case management, medical intervention, or another professional service and appropriately connects the client with qualified staff. Does not provide psychotherapy, clinical counseling, diagnosis, clinical assessment, treatment-plan development, medication management, or medication-compliance services as a CBHPSS. Maintains appropriate boundaries when working with clients in community settings and protects client privacy and confidentiality during community-based encounters.Team Collaboration & Program Development Support Provides lived-experience input to support development of recovery-oriented group topics and engagement strategies under clinical supervision. Maintains professional peer role boundaries and refers clinical, safety, or treatment-related concerns to qualified staff. Supports a recovery-oriented outpatient environment by modeling recovery behaviors, encouraging participation in scheduled programming, and promoting a safe, respectful, and recovery-oriented community culture.Community Based Work ExpectationsThis position performs services in outpatient office, program, telehealth when allowable, and community-based settings as assigned and appropriate to client needs. Community-based peer support may involve meeting clients in locations where recovery skills, self-advocacy, community-resource utilization, social-support development, or other individualized recovery goals can be meaningfully addressed.The employee may be required to travel locally between program and community locations, communicate with community partners, accompany clients during appropriate recovery-support activities, and work independently in community settings while maintaining organizational safety, confidentiality, professional-boundary, documentation, and communication requirements.Client transportation may occur when authorized by the organization and when applicable driving and insurance requirements are met; however, transportation alone does not constitute a Medicaid-reimbursable peer support service.EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION Current Montana Certified Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (CBHPSS) certification, or other credential rec