Peer Support Specialist

Oakland Community Health Network; Pontiac (MI); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Oakland Community Health Network seeks a dedicated Peer Support Specialist to empower individuals facing mental health challenges. You will use lived experience to guide recovery, promote self-advocacy, and support clients across treatment and community settings.

The role requires 3 twelve-hour shifts per week, including alternating weekend work, and a readiness to travel to diverse community sites. Strong communication, empathy, and crisis-intervention skills are essential.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; associate degree or higher preferred.
• Two years' healthcare experience in patient safety, patient relations, or risk management is acceptable in lieu of a degree.
• BLS certification and crisis intervention training are required or completed through onboarding.

Responsibilities

• Provide peer-based support to promote recovery, independence, and self-advocacy.
• Encourage client engagement in treatment and personal growth.
• Help clients build natural support systems and manage daily living skills.
• Facilitate social activities and connect clients to resources and peer networks.
• Participate in team meetings and provide consumer-perspective consultation.
• Maintain awareness of client rights and relevant regulations.
• Travel to community settings to provide direct support.

Skills

De-escalation

Empathy

Emotional intelligence

Time management

Critical thinking

Decision-making

Crisis intervention

Communication

Cultural sensitivity

Team collaboration

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate degree or higher preferred

Tools

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems

Microsoft 365

Job description

The Peer Support Specialist provides peer-based support to individuals experiencing mental health challenges, with a focus on promoting recovery, independence, and self-advocacy. Drawing from personal lived experience, the Peer Support Specialist offers guidance, encouragement, and insight to help clients navigate their recovery journey.

Note: This position works 3 12-hour shifts per week, including working every other weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

Essential Functions

• Support clients in managing symptoms and pursuing recovery through shared experiences and role modeling.
• Encourage client engagement in treatment and personal growth.
• Promote self-advocacy and help clients build natural support systems.
• Assist with daily living skills, vocational goals, housing access, and financial stability.
• Facilitate social and recreational activities to enhance socialization and community integration.
• Connect clients to additional resources and peer support networks.
• Participate in team meetings and provide consultation to providers from a consumer perspective.
• Maintain awareness of client rights, cultural sensitivity, and relevant social service regulations.
• Use American Sign Language and other communication tools to support clients effectively.
• Travel to various community settings to provide direct support.

Job Requirements and Qualifications

Education

High school diploma or GED required; Associate degree or higher preferred.

Training Requirements (licenses, programs, or certificates)

• BLS
• Completion of agency-specific onboarding and crisis intervention training.
• Ongoing professional development in trauma-informed care and recovery coaching.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum of two (2) years' experience in the healthcare industry within a patient safety, patient relations, and/or risk management role accepted in lieu of a college degree.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in crisis de-escalation
• Experience working with adults with severe mental illness, substance use disorder or intellectual/developmental disabilities
• Background in recovery-oriented or trauma-informed care environments
• Experience in working with Electronic Health Record systems

Job Specific Competencies/Skills

• Ability to remain calm and supportive in high-stress situations
• Flexibility to adapt to evolving needs and schedules.
• Strong Organizational Skills
• De-escalation and conflict resolution
• High emotional intelligence and empathy
• Clinical knowledge of mental health and suicide prevention
• Strong time management
• Strong critical thinking and decision-making abilities

Knowledge Requirements

• HIPAA
• Microsoft 365
• Mental Health Code
• Medicaid Manual

Oakland Community Health Network’s Core Competencies

• Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization; demonstrating loyalty to the organization and its mission and values; maintaining social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles. (Integrity/Building Trust)
• Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships, recognizing that the ultimate customer is the person served. (Customer Focus)
• Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job and learning through their application. (Continuous Learning)
• Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence in addition to consciously adopting organizational standards of excellence. (Work Standards)
• Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message. (Communication)

Additional Information

(Travel required, physical requirements, on-call schedules, etc.)

Must be available for meetings and events which may occur outside of standard office hours.

• Work performed primarily in a crisis center environment.
• The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

OCHN is committed to building a diverse team and fostering an inclusive and equitable culture. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that embraces and encourages our employees’ differences. This includes (but is not limited to) ability, age, color, family type, gender expression and identity, individual expression, medical conditions, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, and all other diverse and wonderful characteristics.