Peer Support Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Highlights

Total Potential: Up to $40.00/hr via stacking differentials

Lifestyle Balance: Enjoy 4 days off in a row, every week. High-intensity crisis work balanced by a consistent 4-day rest period. No rotating shifts, no on-call, no surprises.

• Base Pay : $31.00 - $35.00/hour
• Overnight Shift Differential : +$3.00/hour
• Bilingual Differential : +$2.00/hour (Spanish/English)
• Sign-On Bonus : $500 "Ready-to-Work" Bonus (For active CA PSS Certification)
• Job Type: Full-Time at 36 paid hours per week
• Schedule: Fixed Block (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
• Hours: 7:00 PM – 7:30 AM (includes mandatory rest and meal periods)

Wellness Equity Alliance is a national multidisciplinary health organization that designs and delivers integrated, community-based care for populations most impacted by health inequities. We do this through mobile and field-based models, providing medical care, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, harm reduction, and care coordination in nontraditional settings such as encampments, schools, reentry sites, and rural communities as well as with sovereign tribal nations. Grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and data-driven practices, WEA combines clinical expertise, lived experience, and advanced population health analytics to reduce barriers to care, improve continuity, and strengthen local systems. We have partnered with more than 60 public agencies, managed care plans, and community-based organizations across the U.S. to implement scalable, sustainable programs that are advancing health equity and improving outcomes for historically marginalized populations.

We are known as Renegades, Rebels, Disruptors and Dreamers. If that sounds like you, we want you on our team.

Indio Crisis Walk-in Center

WEA’s Crisis Walk-In (CWI) Center, located on the behavioral health campus of Riverside University Health System in Indio, CA, offers 24/7 walk-in, voluntary crisis services for adults and children ages 5 and older. Designed to provide immediate, accessible care, the center serves up to 20 patients at a time, including both youth and adults.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Peer Support Specialist is a vital member of the Weekday Overnight team, providing essential peer-led stabilization during the 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM window. Operating on a fixed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday schedule, you serve as the front-line expert for adults entering our center. You aren't just a staff member; you are a Peer-Expert who uses your own lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery to build immediate, non-clinical rapport with neighbors in their most vulnerable moments.

In this role, you bridge the gap between crisis and stability during the hours when traditional services are often unavailable. You will work alongside a multidisciplinary clinical team, ensuring that every individual is met with dignity rather than a diagnosis. Whether you are de-escalating a tense situation or co-creating a safety plan, your primary tool is your authentic story. You are here to replace fear with hope and to ensure that no one walks their recovery path alone.

• Compensation: The base compensation range is $31.00-$35.00 an hour, with stacking differentials such as $3/hr Night and $2/hr Bilingual bringing potential total pay up to $40/hr .
• Work Location & Expectations: This role requires daily in-person engagement at the Indio Crisis Walk-in Center location.

Key Responsibilities

• The First Voice: Serve as the primary point of contact for adults entering in distress, using lived experience to model calm and hope while lowering the "temperature" of the room.
• Active Engagement: Utilize non-clinical, peer-based de-escalation techniques (such as the "Intentional Peer Support" model) to build immediate rapport and prevent the need for more restrictive interventions.
• Environmental Awareness: Monitor the "Front Door" energy, proactively engaging with participants who appear overwhelmed or anxious before a crisis peaks.

• Peer-Led Planning: Facilitate the creation of individualized Safety Plans that focus on the participant's strengths, triggers, and preferred coping strategies—not just "contracting for safety."
• Post-Crisis Grounding: Support participants in the vulnerable hours following a clinical assessment, helping them process their experience and internalize their immediate stabilization goals.
• Wellness Tools: Introduce participants to wellness tools (like WRAP or similar frameworks) that they can take home as tangible resources for self-management.

• Warm Handoffs: Move beyond providing a list of phone numbers; personally assist participants in navigating the "Front Door" of social services, housing resources, and outpatient programs.
• Bridge to Recovery: Act as the liaison between the CWIC and community-based peer organizations, ensuring participants have a "peer-to-peer" connection waiting for them upon discharge.
• Resource Advocacy: Educate participants on how to advocate for their own needs within the behavioral health system, empowering them to become active participants in their care.

• The "Human" Element: Participate in multidisciplinary team huddles to provide the peer perspective on participant care, ensuring the team sees the person behind the crisis.
• Documentation: Maintain accurate, timely, and person-centered documentation that reflects the participant’s progress and the unique value of the peer intervention.

Qualifications & Requirements

• The Peer Foundation: You must have personal, lived experience with mental health challenges and/or substance use recovery.
• The Goal: You are comfortable and skilled at using your own recovery journey as a professional tool to inspire hope and model stability for others.

• California PSS Certification: Must possess (or obtain within 6 months of hire) a valid Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification issued by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA).
• Don't forget, if you have your active CA PSS Certification in hand on your start date, you are eligible for the $500 sign-on bonus.
• Education: High School Diploma or GED equivalent or higher is required.

• Crisis Competency: Ability to remain grounded and empathetic in a fast-paced, high-intensity clinical environment.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written skills for documenting peer notes and collaborating with a multidisciplinary clinical team.
• Cultural Humility: A deep commitment to serving a diverse population in the Coachella Valley with dignity and respect.

• Certified Parent, Caregiver, and Family Member (CPCF) Specialization highly preferred.
• Youth/Transition-Age Youth (TAY) Peer Specialization highly preferred.
• Bilingual (Spanish): While not required, the ability to provide peer support in fluent Spanish qualifies for a stackable pay differential.
• Specialized Training: Priority will be given to candidates with existing training in Intentional Peer Support (IPS) , WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), or Motivational Interviewing .

• Clearance: Must be able to pass a standard background check and drug screening (consistent with healthcare facility requirements).
• Transportation: Must have reliable transportation to the Indio site for 7:00 PM shift starts.

We believe that to take care of our community, we must first take care of our team.

• The 4-Day Weekend: Every single week, you have four consecutive days off ( Thursday - Sunday ). This isn't a perk; it’s our standard. It provides the deep rest required to remain effective in night-shift crisis work.
• Predictability: No "on-call" shifts, no last-minute schedule rotations, and no surprise overtime. Your life outside of work belongs to you.
• Fewer Commutes: Reduce the gas, the mileage, and the time on the road commuting only 3 times per week.

• Lived Experience as Expertise: You are an expert in navigating the challenges of the behavioral health system. Our clinical team views your lived experience as a vital diagnostic and stabilization tool.
• Supportive Supervision: We provide regular, peer-specific supervision and debriefing. We understand the emotional weight of crisis work and ensure you have the space to process it.
• Professional Growth: We don't just want you to have a job; we want you to have a career. We provide ongoing training in advanced peer practices and support your continuing education units (CEUs).

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer . We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Because we serve a diverse community in the Coachella Valley, we actively encourage applications from people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with unique recovery backgrounds. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.