CCBHC Certified Recovery Support Specialist

Metropolitan Family Services; Merrionette Park (IL); On-site; USD 43,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

HSA contributions

Teladoc services

401K with 4% employer match

Job summary

Metropolitan Family Services seeks a Certified Recovery Support Specialist to empower clients in Merrionette Park. The role centers on recovery planning, service access, and collaboration with a clinical team to support holistic well-being. Strong ties to community resources are essential.

The candidate will work on-site, leveraging personal recovery experience and wraparound strategies to help individuals and families navigate mental health services and social determinants of health.

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or above, required.
• Personal experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery, required.
• Must hold or be eligible to obtain CRSS or CPRS within 12 months, required.
• Final salary will be determined based on years of experience, licensure level, and credentials.
• Bachelor’s Degree, preferred.
• Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) or related experience, preferred.
• WRAP Facilitator, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build trusting, mutual relationships with clients and support recovery journey.
• Assist clients in accessing services within the CCBHC and externally.
• Recovery planning and WRAP development to identify personal strengths.
• Provide information on mental illness, recovery, treatment options, and resources.
• Bridge between client and clinical team, ensuring client-driven care.
• Educate community and facilitate warm hand-offs to care.
• Use trauma-informed support during crises and maintain HIPAA-compliant records.
• Collaborate with team to provide comprehensive services and resource navigation.
• Lead community interventions to promote illness self-management and use of natural supports.

Skills

Recovery speaker/Peer RSS

Effective communication

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Basic computer skills

Public transportation access

Education

High school diploma or GED

CRSS/CPRS credential within 12 months (required)

Bachelor’s degree (preferred)

CADC (preferred)

WRAP Facilitator (preferred)

Job description

CCBHC Certified Recovery Support Specialist

Job Category: Other

Requisition Number: CCBHC005519

• Posted : October 22, 2026
• Full-Time
• On-site

Locations

Showing 1 location

Description

If asked to describe the culture at Metropolitan Family Services, we could do that in one word. COMMUNITY! Reflected in both our internal culture as well as through the services we provide, community is at the heart of all we do.

Metropolitan Family Services(MFS) empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive. Part mentor, part motivator, part advocate, since 1857, Metropolitan Family Services has been the engine of change that empowers families to reach their greatest potential and positively impact their communities. Are you looking to have an impact on more than just a company’s bottom line? Then we’d love to hear from you!

We are currently looking to fill a Certified Recovery Support Specialist role at our Merrionette Park Office.

SALARY

• The average starting salary for this position will fall in the range of $43,000 and $48,000 annually.

$2,500 Sign-on Bonus for first-time employees with MFS! ($1,250 on the first paycheck and $1,250 after 6 months of employment).

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Build trusting, mutual relationships with clients through appropriate self-disclosure of your own recovery journey.
• Assist clients in accessing services within the CCBHC and externally.
• Recovery Planning: Helpclientsdevelop Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP) andidentifypersonal strengths to drive their treatment.
• Provides information to clients and family members on mental illness, recovery and wellness, treatment options, and resources.
• Serve as a bridge between the client and the clinical team, ensuring the client's choices define their care process.
• Partner with localcommunity-based organizationsto educate the community on CCBHC services andfacilitate"warmhand-offs" into care.
• Utilizede-escalation techniques and trauma-informed supportwithclients during mental health crises.
• Documentation:Maintainaccurate, HIPAA-compliant records of peer interactions in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
• Assists CCBHC clients and people the client/family identifies as their supports (withappropriate consent) e.g., significant others, parents, family, caregiver in their understanding the impact of mental health issues/symptoms and achieving the best possible outcomes for themselves/family member.
• Works collaboratively within a team toprovidea full range of services including mental health, substance use/abuse, physical health, casemanagementand other social determinants of health support. Co-facilitates groups as requested. Provides medication monitoring and/or training to clients.
• Spearheads community support interventions tofacilitateillness self-management, skill building, identification and use of naturalsupports, and use of community resources.
• Reviews results of client assessments/screenings and symptom checklists and supports clients when needed to complete symptom checklist.
• Worksopen accessas assigned.
• Conducts outreach and engagement for clients who may not be engaged in care or consistently miss appointments.
• Participates in team meetings,andhuddles.
• Assiststeam inidentifyingstrengthsand needs of clients.
• Supports clients when transitioning to another level of care.
• Maintains awareness of community resources and works to ensure service delivery maximizes available resources and services available within MFS and the community, asappropriate.
• Prioritizes activities in collaboration with the supervisor tooptimizeclient service delivery and achieve performance expectations.
• Recognizeswhen to ask for help tomaintaintheir own wellness plan.
• Maximizes opportunities to expand knowledge and skills, andutilizestechniques learned.
• Provides consultation to agency staff and the community, as needed,utilizingexpert skills in training, conducting seminars, and working on special projects, as requested.
• May serve on agency-wide committees and work groups or on community committees, as approved by supervisor and agency leadership.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES

• Peer/RSS must be an individual who is in recovery and has successfully navigated the MH and/or Substance Abuse system/s for his/herself and/or family member.
• Peer/RSS must have access to and is comfortable utilizing public transportationORa valid driver’s license, access to a fully insured motor vehicle, proof of insurance and meet MFS driving record criteria.
• Peer/RSS must pass a State of Illinois background check, as required by MFS policy.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and writtenform.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse individuals and groups.
• Positive attitude and self-motivation.
• Effective interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated good judgment inmaintainingresponsibilities of the position in advocating for the best interest of consumers served.
• Musthave basic computer skills

QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma, GED, or above, required.
• Personal experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery, required.
• Must hold or be eligible to obtain the Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) or Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) credential from the Illinois Certification Board (ICB) within 12 months of hire, required.
• Final salary will bedeterminedbased on years of experience, licensure level, and relevant credentials.
• Bachelor’s Degree, preferred.
• Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) or experience working with clients experiencing substance use, preferred.
• WRAP Facilitator, preferred.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Satisfactorily pass all relevant screening and criminal background checks.

TRANSPORTATION/TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Driving for work required with transportation of clients preferred in a personally owned vehicle . No travel between sites

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stretch, stoop, kneel and crouch. The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing and viewing a computer terminal.

Some highlights include

• Medical Coverage, Dental Coverage, and Vision Coverage.
• Metropolitan Family Services contributions of $2,000 to individual, and $4,000 to family, HSA accounts, pro-rated to your benefits start date.
• FREE General Medicine and Behavioral Health Teladoc services provided to all team members.
• Ascensus 401K plan services with a 4% employer match, vested at 100% on day one of eligibility.

Some of the above benefits are available for part-time and temporary workers, but not all. Be sure to inquire upon your hire as to which benefits apply to you.

MORE ABOUT US

Metropolitan is Illinois' first comprehensive human services agency and reaches more than 122,970 individuals and families in Chicago, Evanston/Skokie, the southwest suburbs, and DuPage County with services promoting education, economic stability, emotional wellness, and empowerment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.