Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist

Solano County; Fairfield (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Solano County Behavioral Health Services is recruiting for the Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist to provide information, support, advocacy, and guidance based on lived experience. The role supports consumers and families within the behavioral health system and collaborates with care teams to promote recovery principles.

The position emphasizes outreach, engagement of hard-to-reach individuals, and developing personal recovery plans using WRAP or similar tools, contributing to community

Qualifications

• Requires personal recovery experience and ability to advocate for others.
• Advocacy and engagement with peer communities are essential.
• Ability to inform and educate treatment teams using lived experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a resource on recovery principles and lived experience within service teams.
• Assist consumers with goals, follow-up after transitions, and self-management support.
• Promote recovery knowledge and model hopeful, progressive recovery paths.
• Advocate for consumer and family perspectives within the behavioral health system.
• Develop and maintain reports, meeting notes, progress and incident reports.

Skills

Lived experience

Advocacy

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

Help us lead a team dedicated to mental health wellness and recovery!

The Solano County Behavioral Health Services division of the Health and Social Services Department is currently recruiting for the position of Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist.

Solano County Behavioral Health is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our services aim to empower all community members throughout their journey towards wellness and recovery. It is also of equal importance for us to improve access to quality care for underserved and under-represented ethnic and minority populations who have been historically marginalized by health care systems. We are seeking qualified staff who possess valuable life experiences and expertise to ensure our workforce is culturally and linguistically responsive and leverages diversity to foster innovation and positive outcomes for the people we serve.

Click here to learn about the Behavioral Health Services Division.

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialists provide information, support and assistance and advocacy for recipients, and/or caregivers/family members of behavioral health services, through their own lived experience, within established procedures and guidelines.

The eligible list created as a result of this recruitment will be used to fill full-time and part-time regular, limited-term or extra-help positions as vacancies occur throughout the County.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

This class specification represents the core area of responsibilities; specific position assignments will vary depending on the needs of the department.

• Serve as a resource on recovery principles and lived experience as a member of clinic or service teams.
• Provide input regarding consumers’ successes and barriers in engaging in self-management of conditions and self-directed care.
• Assist consumers with specific goals, such as follow-up after a transition in care and adherence to treatment or medical recovery plans.
• Promote knowledge of personal recovery, when appropriate, to help educate members of the treatment team and others in recovery principles; model skills and provide consultation to fellow team members.
• Role model the value of each individual’s recovery experience, including individualized recovery, modeling hope, and demonstrating an incremental path of progress.
• Communicate, represent, and advocate for the consumer and family/caregiver perspective within the behavioral health system.
• Encourage consumers to socialize with family and friends and participate in community-based groups to create sustaining self-help networks in the community.
• Provide outreach and engagement support for hard-to-reach individuals, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
• Assist consumers in developing personal recovery plans using the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) model and/or other wellness tools.
• Help individuals articulate their goals during one-on-one sessions while assisting them in identifying and overcoming fears, learning coping strategies, and developing self-management and relapse prevention skills.
• Support the appropriate recognition, acceptance, and understanding of social and cultural factors affecting an individual’s behavioral health and adherence to treatment.
• Provide and/or advocate for effective recovery-based services that will assist individual consumers with daily living.
• Assist consumers with rehabilitation services, such as learning how to use transportation options, maintaining their residence, and identifying daily activities that support positive community inclusion.
• Help consumers learn to advocate for themselves during medical appointments, including attending medical and behavioral health appointments as a support when requested by the consumer.
• Assist in the preparation of reports and correspondence and maintain a variety of documentation, including meeting notes, progress reports, incident reports, and other data.
• Enter consumer meeting notes into a variety of computer programs.
• Develop effective working relationships with colleagues, agencies, and organizations to advocate for consumer and family/caregiver empowerment.
• Support the County’s connection with community organizations, schools, the justice system, residential living and housing programs, vocational programs, and other community resources.
• Attend and participate in conferences, workshops, and trainings within the behavioral health system and in the community.
• Perform other duties of a similar nature or level as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education: High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent;

AND

Experience: Two (2) years of personal experience in recovery from mental health or substance use challenges and three (3) months of advocacy, leadership, or engagement in peer recovery activities.

LICENSING, CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Possession of, or ability to obtain, a California Driver’s License may be required.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Successful completion of a County-approved Peer Support Training and Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), or other County-approved evidence-based recovery program curriculum prior to the end of the probationary period is required.

Click here to view the job description for Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist.

The eligible list created as a result of this recruitment will be used to fill full-time and part-time regular, limited-term or extra-help positions as vacancies occur throughout the County.

SELECTION PROCESS

11/20/2026 – 5:00pm Deadline to submit application and required documents

Based on the information provided in the application documents, the qualified applicants may be invited for further examination and will either be pre-scheduled by the Department of Human Resources or be invited to self-schedule. All applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of an initial application screening, a mandatory information meeting, a supplemental questionnaire assessment, a written and/or practical exam, an oral board exam, or any combination listed. Responses to supplemental questions may be used as screening and testing mechanisms and will be used to assess an applicant’s ability to advance in the process; as such, responses to supplemental questions should be treated as test examination responses. Information contained herein does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

All potential new hires and employees considered for promotion to management, confidential positions or unrepresented positions will be subject to a background and reference check after contingent job offer is accepted. These provisions are subject to change.

RETIREES: Solano County invites all to apply for positions; however pursuant to Government Code Section 21221(h) and 21224, hiring restrictions may apply to California Public Sector Pension Plan Retirees.

VETERAN'S PREFERENCE POINTS

To be eligible, applicant must have served at least 181 consecutive days of active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States and have received either an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. A COPY OF THE DD 214, SHOWING DISCHARGE TYPE (GENERALLY COPY 4), MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT BY THE FINAL FILING DATE. Applicants who have a service-connected disability must also submit a recent award letter from the VA stating they are receiving disability benefits for service-connected reasons.

Veteran applicants for initial County employment with an honorable or general under conditions discharge shall receive five (5) points added to their combined score. Disabled veterans rated at not less than 30% disability shall have ten (10) points added to their combined score. Veteran’s preference points will only be added to passing scores in competitive open examinations.