Peer Support Specialist

Catawba County Government; Hickory (NC); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Catawba County Emergency Services is seeking a dedicated Peer Support Specialist for the REACH 911 response program. The role uses lived experience to assist individuals with substance use and mental health challenges, guiding them toward recovery and access to services.

Responsibilities include active overdose response, follow-up visits, and coordination with healthcare, behavioral health, and community resources.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent.
• Personal lived experience with substance use, mental health, or co-occurring conditions.

Responsibilities

• Provide peer-based support grounded in lived experience and recovery principles.
• Respond to active overdoses and incidents with harm-reduction approaches.
• Conduct follow-ups and coordinate referrals to treatment and community resources.
• Assist participants in accessing MAT, housing, transportation, and social services.
• Document contacts and referrals while maintaining confidentiality.

Skills

Active listening

Empathy

Motivational interviewing

De-escalation

Advocacy

Problem-solving

Interpersonal communication

Teamwork

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Catawba County Emergency Services is recruiting a dedicated, well-experienced Peer Support Specialist to join our dynamic EMS Post Overdose Response Team (PORT), named REACH (Resource for Addiction and Community Health). This position uses personal lived experience and recovery knowledge to support individuals affected by substance use and mental health challenges through REACH 911 responses, active overdose responses, follow-up visits, and community referrals.

The ideal candidate builds trust quickly, meets people where they are during moments of crisis or vulnerability, and helps them pursue their own recovery goals by connecting them with treatment, healthcare, recovery services, and community resources. Join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families across Catawba County!

• Provide peer-based support grounded in lived experience and recovery principles, promoting self-determination and helping participants identify and pursue recovery goals, including through Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP) and advocacy.
• Respond with the REACH Team to active overdoses and other appropriate incidents, providing immediate peer support using harm reduction and de-escalation strategies.
• Conduct follow-up visits and contacts with individuals referred to REACH, identifying needs and goals and providing continued support and resource navigation.
• Help participants access treatment, behavioral health services, healthcare, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), recovery housing, social services, and transportation, and support REACH Paramedics during MAT activities through peer education and encouragement.
• Collaborate with hospitals, detention facilities, treatment providers, behavioral health agencies, law enforcement, social services, and recovery organizations to support referrals and recovery.
• Document participant contacts, referrals, services, and outcomes while maintaining confidentiality, and participate in required meetings, training, and continuing education.

• High school diploma or GED equivalent and either:
  • Certification as an NC Peer Support Specialist; OR
  • 1 continuous year as a former recipient of substance abuse treatment and eligibility for certification as an NC Certified Peer Support Specialist
• Personal lived experience with substance use, mental health, or the co-occurrence of SUD/MH and recovery.

• Valid Driver’s License with a safe driving record (Driving is an essential function of this position.)
• Must demonstrate accountability for personal recovery and wellness and model recovery principles through actions, attitudes, and behaviors that promote wellness and resilience.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust, engage and motivate individuals, and support participants in identifying their own recovery pathway while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Knowledge of substance use disorders, mental health, recovery principles, harm reduction, trauma-informed practices, medication-assisted treatment, and local treatment and recovery resources.
• Skilled in active listening, empathy, motivational interviewing, de-escalation, advocacy, and problem-solving.
• Ability to work effectively in high-stress environments, with diverse populations, independently, and as part of a multidisciplinary team while exercising sound judgment and maintaining confidentiality.
• Working conditions are inside/outside, and candidates must be able to lift, carry, push, and pull at least 70 pounds to utilize equipment on a regular basis and assist with moving/positioning of patients as needed.