Recovery Support Specialist – Youth Crisis Response

Heritage Behavioral Health Center, Inc.; Decatur (IL); On-site; USD 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid wellness day every other Friday

Clinical supervision

NHSC loan forgiveness eligibility

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) and Roth options

CE and tuition assistance

Job summary

Heritage Behavioral Health Center, Inc. seeks a Recovery Support Specialist to join our Mobile Crisis Response Team, serving Macon, DeWitt, and Piatt Counties.

You bring lived recovery experience and compassion to individuals in behavioral health crises, working alongside a Crisis Clinician in-person visits. You’ll respond quickly, provide engagement and support, and help clients access recovery resources, housing, and community services in diverse settings including homes, schools, and

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Personal lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery.
• Active RSS credential recognized by the Illinois DHS; CRSS credential desired within 18 months.
• Willingness to obtain CRSS credential within 18 months of hire (preferred within 12).
• Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and proof of current auto insurance.
• CPR certification or willingness to maintain CPR.

Responsibilities

• Respond in person to behavioral health crises as part of a two-person Mobile Crisis Response Team.
• Engage clients first to build trust before clinical assessment.
• Provide empathetic, recovery-oriented engagement drawing on lived experience.
• Support clients’ self-directed choices and help them access recovery resources.
• Partner with the Crisis Clinician to support diversion and least restrictive dispositions.
• Assist with Care Coordination hand-offs at 24–72 hours.
• Ensure timely, accurate documentation and client confidentiality.
• Participate in team debriefs and crisis training including I-CAT.

Skills

Lived recovery experience

Interpersonal skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Calm under pressure

Independence and teamwork

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Electronic health records

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Recovery Support Specialist – Youth Crisis Response

SASS Full Time MHP - High School 151 North Main, Decatur, Decatur, IL, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 1617

Salary Range: $18.00 To $23.00 Hourly

Now Hiring

Recovery Support Specialist – Youth Crisis Response

Community Crisis Response – Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT)

Location

Macon, DeWitt, and Piatt Counties, Illinois – field-based, with time at Heritage’s Decatur and Clinton sites

Position Type

Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Work Setting

In-person; field-based crisis response wherever the client is located

Schedule

Full-time, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Every other Friday off (paid wellness day)

Pay

$18.00/hour – High school diploma or GED, increasing to $23.00/hour upon earning the Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) credential

$23.00/hour – Candidates who already hold the CRSS credential

About the Role

Your recovery story can be someone else’s turning point. Heritage is looking for a Recovery Support Specialist to join our Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), bringing lived recovery experience, hope, and empathy to people of all ages experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

As part of a two-person team paired with a Crisis Clinician, you’ll respond in person to crises across Macon, DeWitt, and Piatt Counties — in homes, schools, hospitals, and community settings. Referrals come from 988, 911-to-988 transfers, the CARES Line, and Heritage’s crisis line. You’ll often be the first to engage the client, building trust and helping them navigate toward the least restrictive, most appropriate next step.

What You’ll Do

• Respond in person to behavioral health crises as part of a two-person Mobile Crisis Response Team
• Engage clients first when appropriate, building trust and rapport before the clinical assessment
• Offer hope-filled engagement, empathy, and validation drawn from your own lived recovery experience
• Support clients’ self-directed choices and help them connect to recovery, housing, and other community resources
• Partner with the Crisis Clinician to support diversion and the least restrictive disposition, including referral to Behavioral Health Urgent Care/Crisis Observation
• Support warm hand-offs to Care Coordination for follow-up at 24, 48, and 72 hours
• Complete timely, accurate documentation and maintain client confidentiality
• Participate in team debriefs and required crisis training, including de-escalation and the I-CAT

What You Bring

Required

• High school diploma or GED
• Personal lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery
• Active or eligible Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) credential recognized by the Illinois Department of Human Services
• Willingness to obtain the Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) credential within 18 months of hire (preferred within 12 months)
• Valid driver’s license, reliable personal transportation, and proof of current auto insurance
• Ability to maintain required certifications (e.g., CPR)

Preferred

• Current CRSS credential
• Experience in crisis response, behavioral health, or community health settings
• Familiarity with the I-CAT and Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS)

Skills that will help you succeed

• Ability to use your recovery experience to support and inspire others
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Ability to stay calm, flexible, and clear-headed in urgent field situations
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, often outside a traditional office
• Strong organization and attention to detail for timely documentation
• Familiarity with electronic health records
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, recovery and community resources in Macon, DeWitt, and Piatt Counties

What Success Looks Like

• Clients experience a compassionate, recovery-oriented response from first contact through disposition
• Your Crisis Clinician and Crisis Supervisor see you as a reliable, communicative teammate
• Response-time standards are consistently met
• Hand-offs to Care Coordination and community partners are timely and complete
• Documentation is accurate, complete, and on time

Working Conditions

• Travel to client homes, hospitals, schools, community sites, and Heritage locations
• Ability to respond calmly in crisis or emergency situations
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, and work at a computer for extended periods, and to take part in physically and emotionally demanding crisis responses

Why You’ll Love Working Here

At Heritage, we believe lived experience is expertise. You’ll join a crisis team that champions hope, dignity, and self-directed recovery — with comprehensive crisis training and a clear path to certification and higher pay.

• Every other Friday off as a paid wellness day: that’s 26 three-day weekends a year
• Paid clinical supervision, including supervision toward your LCSW or LCPC
• Loan forgiveness eligibility through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
• Competitive salary aligned with state and national benchmarks
• Generous time off: vacation, sick, personal, and holiday leave
• Health, dental, and vision insurance with substantial agency contributions
• 401(k) and Roth retirement options
• Tuition assistance and continuing education support
• Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), fitness reimbursement, and additional life insurance
• A collaborative, mission-driven team where every role impacts client care

Heritage is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.