Peer Specialist - RESTORE

Advantage Behavioral Health Systems; Athens (GA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Advantage Behavioral Health Systems seeks a Certified Peer Specialist - Youth (CPS-Y) to empower youth and families in their recovery journeys. You will act as a role model, collaborating with families to set goals, leverage strengths, and build pathways toward long-term stability.

This is a mission-driven role within a leading Georgia behavioral health network. As part of the Family Treatment Team, you will design WRAP plans, teach coping skills, and coordinate community resources, while

Qualifications

• Must be CPS-Y credential or eligible for state certification.
• Personal lived experience with mental health recovery is required.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to support community-based treatment.
• Excellent reading comprehension and professional written communication are essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide recovery-oriented support to youth and families.
• Design, implement, and maintain Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP).
• Teach emotional regulation techniques and coping strategies.
• Coach social and life skills; promote community integration.
• Coordinate resources and advocate across external systems.
• Maintain HIPAA-compliant documentation in the EHR.

Skills

Reading comprehension

Professional writing

Leadership

Recovery grounding

Peer advocacy

Program governance

Education

High school diploma or GED

Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, or related field

Certified Peer Specialist - Youth (CPS-Y) credential

Job description

Serve Others. Grow Professionally. Make an Impact.At Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, every role contributes to improving lives and strengthening communities. As a Certified Peer Specialist - Youth (CPS-Y), you'll play a vital role in supporting quality behavioral healthcare by using your own lived experience to empower youth and families, helping them navigate their recovery journeys and build lasting wellness.Join one of Georgia's leading behavioral healthcare organizations and one of the state's first Georgia-certified Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs). Every record you maintain, every privacy standard you protect, and every process you support helps improve outcomes for individuals and families facing behavioral health challenges, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders.If you are detail-oriented, committed to confidentiality, and passionate about making a difference behind the scenes, we invite you to join a mission-driven team dedicated to building hope, strengthening communities, and expanding access to care.Why Advantage?Be Part of Something BiggerAs Northeast Georgia's public behavioral healthcare provider, we serve ten counties and thousands of individuals and families each year through innovative, person-centered care.Help Shape the Future of Behavioral HealthcareAs one of Georgia's first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), Advantage is helping transform behavioral healthcare through expanded access, integrated services, and improved outcomes.Position SummaryOperates under the direct supervision of the Family Treatment Team (FTT) Program Manager, the Certified Peer Specialist-Youth (CPS-Y) delivers a comprehensive range of recovery-oriented support services to youth and families. Utilizing their own lived experience with mental health recovery, the CPS-Y serves as a dedicated advocate and role model, empowering clients to direct their own wellness journeys. The CPS-Y works collaboratively with families to identify personal recovery goals, leverage inherent strengths, and build actionable pathways toward long-term stability and resilience.Essential Job Duties and ResponsibilitiesDirect Client Support & Skill BuildingWellness Planning: Partner with youth and families to design, implement, and maintain individualized Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP).Emotional Regulation: Teach evidence-based techniques and coping mechanisms to help youth manage intense emotional responses and navigate behavioral challenges.Communication Training: Instruct families on how to mitigate negative self-talk and replace destructive communication patterns with positive interaction strategies.Social & Life Skills: Facilitate structured activities and coaching to improve clients' problem-solving skills, social interactions, and community integration.Vocational Guidance: Support youth in identifying, exploring, and pursuing viable career paths and educational opportunities.Resource Coordination & AdvocacyAgency Liaison: Advocate fiercely for youth and families across external systems, including local schools, the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).Resource Mapping: Connect program participants to critical community resources, stable housing opportunities, and local healthcare services.Natural Supports: Guide parents and guardians in identifying, establishing, and utilizing their own community and peer-led support networks.Logistical Support: Arrange or directly provide safe transportation for clients to attend critical medical, therapeutic, and community appointments.Clinical Collaboration & AdministrationInterdisciplinary Participation: Actively contribute to client intake assessments, multidisciplinary treatment team planning, and crisis intervention protocols.Clinical Modeling: Act as a strategic resource for clinical staff by using personal recovery insight to identify and advocate for program improvements that maximize client wellness.Compliance & Documentation: Maintain meticulous, timely documentation of all billable and non-billable client interactions, family engagements, and collateral contacts within the Electronic Health Record (EHR).Confidentiality: Uphold the strictest compliance with HIPAA and confidentiality regulations, ensuring signed releases of information are securely obtained prior to disclosing any healthcare data.Minimum QualificationsEducation: High school diploma or General Education Development (GED) equivalent.Age Requirement: Minimum of 18 years of age at the time of application.Lived Experience & Credentialing: Must be currently credentialed as a Certified Peer Specialist - Youth (CPS-Y) or meet all state eligibility requirements for certification. Eligibility requires personal, lived experience with a documented diagnosis of mental illness, addiction, or a co-occurring dual diagnosis, alongside a strong willingness to self-identify publicly as a person in recovery.Core Skills: Demonstrated high proficiency in reading comprehension and professional written communication, as evaluated through the required pre-employment assessment.Leadership & Recovery Grounding: Proven experience in leadership, peer advocacy, or program governance. Candidates must demonstrate that they are well-grounded in their personal recovery process, fully adhering to standard CPS and CARES ethical guidelines.Preferred QualificationsEducation: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in psychology, social work, counseling, or a closely related human services field.Certification: Active and verified state Certified Peer Specialist - Youth (CPS-Y) credential at the time of hire.Experience: A deep-seated commitment and documented dedication to working within a family-centered care model, including serving both youth and adults navigating serious mental illness (SMI).Certificates, Licenses, and RegistrationsMandatory Credentialing: Maintenance of an active Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) credential is a mandatory condition of employment. Selected candidates hired under \"eligible\" status must successfully obtain state certification within the designated probationary period to retain the position.Logistics: Valid driver’s license and reliable personal transportation to facilitate community-based and in-home client treatment.BenefitsBenefits eligibility will be determined in accordance with Advantage Behavioral Health Systems policies applicable to part-time and full-time employees.Equal Opportunity EmployerAdvantage Behavioral Health Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.