Peer Recovery Specialist PRS - Mental Health

Hours: full-time (37.5 hours per week), VRS state benefits and full benefits package included! Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Become a Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) with Horizon Behavioral Health – APPLY TODAY!

A Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) is a self-identified person with lived experience with a mental health and/or addiction condition who is in successful and ongoing recovery from mental health and/or addiction challenges. Peer Recovery Specialists use their lived experience to support another person’s recovery journey. This listing includes CIT Peer Recovery Specialist.

Peer Recovery Specialists (PRS) are individuals who have successfully completed the 72- Hour DBHDS Peer Recovery Specialist Training. They may be in the process of accumulating requirements, such as 500 hours needed to qualify as a CERTIFIED PEER RECOVERY SPECIALIST (CPRS) with the Virginia Certification Board. They may also be accumulating requirements for certification as a NATIONAL CERTIFIED PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT SPECIALIST (NCPRSS) with NADAAC. They could also be certified by another qualifying State, National or Veterans Administration process.

Why Become CPRS with Horizon?

• Automatic pay raise after obtaining CPRS certification
• Quality behavior health training with Central Virginia company in operation for 50+ years
• Retirement plan through Virginia State Retirement System (VRS)
• Generous paid vacation time

PRS Required Education and Experience

• High School Diploma / GED.
• At least one year of personal experience living in recovery with mental health/substance use challenges or the family member/supporter of a person who experienced mental health/substance use challenges.
• Must be eligible to register with the Virginia Board of Counseling as a Registered Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS).
• Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPSR) is preferred.

Unlesss you are already CPRS, this is an entry-level position and will be required to complete all required training and supervision hours to apply for certification within one year of hire date. Services include one-on-one peer mentoring, peer-led support groups, telephone outreach, assisting clients in accessing community resources, services and affiliation with recovery-supported social activities. Some evening and weekend hours.

**For Peer Recovery Specialist openings related to substance use support – please search “peer” in our online career center, and apply for additional positions to be considered for those positions as well.**

Related Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of services and systems available in the community including primary health care, support services, and generic community resources; Knowledge of the nature of the recovery process including the use of established standardized mental health, substance use, and co-occurring processes; Knowledge and understanding of multiple pathways to recovery; signs and symptoms of mental health and/or substance use challenges and strategies to address these symptoms; Knowledge and understanding of applicable federal, state, and local laws as well as governing codes of conduct surrounding the profession; understanding of the code of ethics, core competencies, and scope of practice guiding the work of the profession; Knowledge of trauma and impact on recovery; Ability to identify and document an individual’s need for resources, services, and other supports; Ability to develop recovery, resiliency, and wellness plans by integrating information obtained from informal assessments, evaluations, observations, and interviews; Ability to promote services, supports, and strategies for the recovery process; Ability to deliver peer services within agencies and organizations.

Knowledge surrounding the operation and care of computer equipment and cellular devices; Ability to participate in and successfully pass behavioral intervention training; includes both verbal de-escalation skills and physical skills techniques to be utilized with consumers as needed; Ability to drive and must possess a valid driver’s license; Willing and available to work modified schedules (weekends, holiday, etc.) as required.

About Horizon:

Horizon Behavioral Health is located in the heart of Central Virginia surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether your passions be hiking on the vast Appalachian Trials, kayaking through the James River Blueways, or a Sunday drive along the world-famous Blue Ridge Parkway, Lynchburg VA offers small-town southern charm with an active culture of music festivals, outdoor activities, and performing arts that placed it at the top of the list by Reviews.org as the 2019 best place for millennials to move. Horizon is also the proud recipient of Living in Lynchburg’s 2021 Giving Back Award, Best Place to Work in 2018, Best of Lynchburg for Counseling Services for multiple consecutive years, and again most recently in 2022!

Employment with a VA Community Services Board (CSB) offers generous benefits that include participation in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS); life, health, dental, and vision insurance; generous annual leave, sick leave and paid holidays. Horizon’s clinical sites are NHSC/HRSA approved for clinical student loan repayment, and qualify for both the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and the Behavioral Health State Loan Repayment (BHLRP) Programs. If you are interested in continuing your education, working at Horizon qualifies you to receive discounts at some local universities.

To Apply – Please visit our online career center at www.HorizonBH.org

Employment with a VA Community Services Board (CSB) requires vaccination against COVID-19 with an FDA-approved or FDA-authorized vaccine as a condition of employment, or seek religious or medical exemption to be approved prior to start date. Horizon Behavioral Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).