Recovery Support Specialist

Recovery Centers of America; Illinois; On-site; USD 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Recovery Centers of America seeks a dedicated Recovery Support Specialist to supervise and assist patients within a trauma-informed treatment environment. You will support daily activities, lead educational and recreational sessions, and assist with crisis intervention while collaborating with the clinical team.

The role requires strong organizational skills, a customer-service mindset, and the ability to work in a fast-paced setting. Some travel within RCA locations may be required.

Qualifications

• Requires High School diploma or equivalent.
• 1 year of experience in behavioral health or substance use treatment preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to prioritize workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with technology and systems; training provided.
• Familiarity with behavior modification and 12-step modality.
• Valid driver’s license and safe driving record where applicable.
• Customer service mindset with focus on satisfaction within available resources.
• Strong problem solving and communication skills across diverse audiences.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing information, conditions, or responsibilities.
• Effective time management to handle multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Monitor patient activities and complete documentation (rounds sheets, notes, end-of-shift reports).
• Participate in direct patient care ensuring safety and trauma-informed interactions.
• Assist with daily patient schedules and activities.
• Recognize distress and respond to escalation and behavioral issues.
• Assist with crisis intervention and emergency procedures as needed.
• Communicate concerns to clinical and nursing staff promptly.
• Handle patient belongings processing for admissions and visits.
• Assist with packing belongings for discharge.
• Oversee patient compliance in Workflex and Wellness centers.
• Support welcoming New Patient Orientation and visitation programs.
• Demonstrate confidentiality and professional communication with patients and staff.

Skills

Communication proficiency

Problem solving

Time management

Flexibility

Customer service

Organizational skills

Ability to work in fast-paced env

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

The Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) provides direct support and supervision to patients receiving substance abuse and behavioral health services. Working under the direction of the Recovery Support Supervisor and in collaboration with clinical, nursing, and medical staff, the RSS promotes patient safety, engagement, recovery support, and therapeutic milieu management. Responsibilities include, but is not limited to, supporting patients in daily activities, leading patients in educational and recreational activities, facilitating psychoeducational and recovery-oriented programming, assisting with crisis intervention and de-escalation, monitoring patient behavior and safety, and contributing to a structured, trauma-informed treatment environment. The RSS supports individualized patient care through therapeutic engagement, observation, documentation, and collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Monitors patient activities, provides security/safety checks throughout shift, completes documentation to include, but not limited to, rounds sheets, therapeutic activities notes, and End of Shift reports; records patient behavior.
• Participates in direct patient care including ensuring patient safety and utilizing trauma-informed approaches when interacting with patients.
• Assists in the activities of patients' daily schedule.
• Recognizes signs of emotional distress, escalation, and behavioral instability and responds appropriately
• Assists with de-escalation, behavioral crisis intervention and emergency response procedures as appropriate
• Communicates patient concerns and observations promptly to appropriate clinical and nursing staff.
• Performs all aspects of patient belongings processing for new admissions and resulting from visitations, including search, heat treatment, and delivery.
• Assist patients with packing of belongings in preparation for discharge.
• Monitors Business Center/Workflex for patient compliance with rules and schedules.
• Monitors patient activities at the Wellness Center/Fitness Center.
• Partner with Clinical team to conduct a welcoming New Patient Orientation (if applicable).
• Assists with all aspects of visitation program, including greeting, sign-in, orientation, search and belongings processing (if applicable).
• Demonstrates understanding of recovery-oriented systems of care, including 12-Step
• principles, relapse prevention, and patient-centered recovery approaches.
• Aids and instructs clients in facilitation and presentation of the RCA Clinical Curriculum with corresponding notes in medical records system.
• May assist in transporting patients and/or patient belongings (as applicable)
• Demonstrates appropriate confidentiality when interacting with patients, residents, families, visitors, referral sources, and all other contacts.
• Exhibits excellent customer relation skills as evidenced by supportive and constructive communication with all contacts including co-workers, patients, residents, visitors, families, and referral sources.
• Perform any other job-related duties as assigned.

STATE SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES (if applicable):

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience of 1 year working in behavioral health and/or substance use disorder treatment is preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with all technology hardware, systems and tools required to perform duties; training will be provided as needed.
• Familiarity with behavior modification and 12-step modality.
• Valid driver's license and a safe driving record (as applicable).
• Customer Service: Demonstrates concern for meeting internal and external customers' needs in a manner that provides satisfaction for the customer within the resources that can be made available.
• Problem Solving: Identifies problems, involves others in seeking solutions, and conducts appropriate analyses, searches for best solutions; responds quickly to new challenges.
  Communication Proficiency: Comfortable using a broad range of communication styles, and ability to choose appropriate, effective ways to communicate to different audiences in diverse situations.
• Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; adapts behavior and work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Adjusts rapidly to new situations warranting attention and resolution. Is willing to assume new responsibilities if the quality of patient care dictates.
• Time Management: Uses his or her time effectively and efficiently; concentrates his or her efforts on the most important priorities; adeptly manages several tasks at once.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This position operates within a behavioral health environment, including residential, inpatient and/or detoxification settings. This role requires frequent interaction with patients experiencing mental health, substance use, emotional and behavioral challenges. The environment may include exposure to emotionally distressed individuals, behavioral escalation, and crisis situations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, tablets and photocopiers.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or listen. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is constantly required to walk and stand, and occasionally required to sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move objects up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

TRAVEL:

Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-the-area and overnight travel may be expected.

A former patient may not be hired at the same location where they were treated until a minimum of one year has elapsed since the completion of their treatment at that location. Former patients may be considered for employment at other RCA locations within a year after treatment. This consideration will be subject to the standard hiring process and must not compromise ethical standards, patient care, or the reputation of RCA.

Work Shift

3rd

Shift Hours

11pm-7:30am

Pay Range

The estimated pay range for this job. Disclosing pay information promotes competitive and equitable pay. The actual pay rate will depend on the person's qualifications and experience.

$18.00 - $20.00

Pay Transparency

In order to support the Fair Compensation Strategy by the US Govt., HR Dept., clients are required to adhere to "Pay Transparency Law"; in the impacted states; that have mandated the employers to list the salary ranges in Job advertisements or postings for job opportunities and Job promotions.

EEO is the Law

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