Peer Support Specialist

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Administrative St. Louis, MO, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 1024

Salary Range: $40,000.00 To $50,000.00 Annually

JOB TITLE: EPICC Peer Support Specialist ( High Utilizer Initiative )

REPORTS TO: EPICC Program Director

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full-Time; 10-month Contract (might have an opportunity for continued employment, dependent on funding and performance)

SALARY RANGE: $40,000 - $50,000 USD per year

JOB SUMMARY

The Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis (B HN) is seeking a contracted EPICC Peer Support Specialist to pilot a 10-month initiative to serve high ne ed/ high r isk individuals with opioid addiction. The EPICC Peer Support Specialist will provide individualized, peer-based outreach, relationship building, and recovery support to individuals with three or more referrals to the EPICC (Engaging Patients in Care Coordination) program who experience ongoing challenges engaging in treatment and recovery-support services. Drawing upon lived experience and recovery-oriented principles, t he Peer Supp ort Specialist will build trusting relationships, encourage treatment engagement, promote hope and self-advocacy, and help participants navigate their individual recovery journeys. This position will work collaboratively with EPICC staff, the High Utilizer Case Manager, treatment providers, and community partners to reduce barriers to recovery, facilitate connections to supportive services, and promote sustained participant engagement . It is anticipated that the individual selected will work between 32-40 hours per week. Given it is a contractual role, this opportunity affords great opportunity for flexibility.

AREA OF FOCUS

The EPICC program is a collaborative opioid overdose response initiative that connects individuals encountered through emergency rooms (ER) and emergency medical services (EMS) with community-based substance use treatment and recovery services, with an emphasis on medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Through intensive outreach and engagement, EPICC Recovery Coaches, individuals with lived experience, help facilitate connections to treatment and recovery resources. The program aims to engage individuals during emergency room stabilization, increase access to substance use disorder treatment and MAT, provide Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND), and reduce future overdoses and emergency department utilization.

The Peer Support Specialist will provide enhanced peer support services to individuals who have been referred to EPICC three or more times and continue to experience challenges engaging in treatment or connecting with recovery-support services. Participants must be identified for enhanced services by EPICC leadership or designated staff and voluntarily agree to participate. Using lived experience, a strengths-based approach, and recovery-oriented practices, the Peer Support Specialist will establish meaningful relationships with participants who may be reluctant to engage in traditional treatment or support services. The position will focus on building trust, providing consistent encouragement, promoting participant empowerment and self-direction, and helping individuals identify and pursue their personal recovery goals.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Peer Outreach and Relationship Building

• Conduct individualized outreach to assigned participants and establish trusting, supportive relationships through shared lived experience.
• Provide consistent, nonjudgmental encouragement and support, using motivational and strengths-based approaches.
• Engage individuals who have declined or discontinued treatment or recovery-support services.
• Maintain respectful, ongoing contact based on participant preferences and individualized engagement needs.

Recovery Engagement and Support

• Assist participants in identifying personal recovery goals and exploring available pathways to recovery.
• Provide encouragement and support throughout the treatment and recovery process, including during setbacks and periods of increased vulnerability.
• Share appropriate personal recovery experiences when beneficial to participant engagement and empowerment.
• Promote self-advocacy, personal choice, and connection to positive recovery supports and networks.

Treatment and Recovery Connections

• Encourage participation in substance use disorder treatment, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) when appropriate, and other recovery-support services.
• Help participants understand available treatment options and connect with community-based recovery resources.
• Facilitate warm handoffs to treatment providers, peer groups, recovery community organizations, and other supportive services.
• Accompany participants to appointments or service connections when appropriate and authorized, and encourage follow-through with scheduled appointments.

Enhanced Follow-Up and Engagement

• Provide ongoing, individualized outreach and follow-up to support continued participant engagement.
• Reengage participants following missed appointments, discontinued services, or additional EPICC referrals.
• Identify participant concerns and barriers to engagement and communicate relevant information to the High Utilizer Case Manager and EPICC team.
• Adapt outreach and engagement strategies to participant needs and preferences.

Overdose Prevention and Recovery Education

• Provide overdose prevention education consistent with program training and approved procedures.
• Support participant access to naloxone and other approved overdose prevention resources.
• Share information about available recovery pathways, community resources, and supportive services.
• Encourage participants to identify individualized safety strategies and recovery supports.

Collaboration with the Case Manager and EPICC Team

• Participate in coordinated participant engagement planning with the High Utilizer Case Manager.
• Communicate relevant participant needs, concerns, and barriers to service engagement through authorized channels.
• Coordinate outreach efforts and engagement strategies to promote continuity of care and avoid duplication of services.
• Participate in scheduled high-utilizer case reviews, case consultation meetings, and other program meetings.
• Support participant-centered transitions and connections between treatment, recovery, and community-based services.

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain timely and accurate documentation of participant contacts, outreach attempts, peer support activities, and recovery-support connections in the designated system.
• Track participant engagement, successful contacts, follow-up activities, and participant-identified barriers and needs.
• Submit monthly service activity and outcome reports in accordance with BHN requirements.
• Maintain participant confidentiality and appropriate professional peer support boundaries, and comply with applicable program procedures and documentation standards.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS

• Lived experience with substance use recovery or relevant behavioral health recovery experience.
• Missouri Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) credential or other applicable recognized peer support credential, as required by the program or funding source.
• Experience supporting individuals with substance use disorders or behavioral health challenges preferred.
• Knowledge of community-based treatment options, recovery pathways, peer support services, and local recovery resources.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish trust and rapport with individuals experiencing complex challenges.
• Understanding of trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and recovery-oriented principles.
• Ability to use personal recovery experience appropriately to encourage, empower, and support others while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Ability to work effectively with individuals experiencing repeated crises, setbacks, or difficulty engaging in traditional service models.
• Ability to promote participant choice, self-advocacy, and recovery self-direction.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills, including the ability to maintain accurate records and complete required reporting.
• Ability to work collaboratively with the High Utilizer Case Manager, EPICC staff, treatment providers, and community partners.
• Demonstrated commitment to participant confidentiality, ethical peer support practices, and appropriate professional boundaries.

WORK CONTEXT

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position at least 50% of the time.
• Must be able to operate a computer and other general office equipment such as a copy machine and printer.

Work Setting

• Hybrid. Office site is environmentally controlled.
• Must have a valid driver’s license (with no more than 2 points on the record) and current insurance.
• Required ability to drive to and from occasional meetings in the 7-County region represented by BHN.