Recovery Support Specialist

The Recovery Support Specialist is essential to the treatment team, providing peer support, addressing social needs, coordinating care, assisting with entitlements, and supporting overall wellness for members with complex and high risk needs. This role reports to the clinical leadership team.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

• Maintain a fluid caseload of a care team’s highest risk and disengaged members, focusing on members early in treatment or members who are struggling with co-occurring mental health or social care challenges. 
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary care team, including participating in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of high quality, member-centered care.
• Actively assist members in identifying goals, working towards their care plan goals through individual coaching, coping skill support, and treatment engagement support.
• Complete intensive outreach interventions for members who are unengaged or struggling to engage.
• Maintain open office hours at the Groups’ office location. Assist members in person at the Groups’ office location, virtually, and in the community as needed.
• Help members prepare for and accompany them to local services as needed: primary care and mental health appointments, recovery support meetings, recovery centers, etc. 
• Become familiar with healthcare and social service resources in the local community.  
• Advocate for members, and serve as a link to community-based services and the local recovery community by helping clients navigate local care and support systems.
• Facilitate peer groups related to members’ recovery journey and community resources. 
• Maintain timely and accurate documentation in electronic health record.  

• Participate in ongoing continuing education as required to maintain certification or licensure where required.

Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Fluency with office technology, including G-Suite, email, electronic medical records, and software and mobile apps (e.g., Google Apps).
• Share the Groups’ values of member-centered care and harm-reduction practices.
• Knowledge of, and ability to use motivational interviewing practices. 

• Knowledge and understanding of substance use treatment programs, assessments, evaluations, observations and care plans. 
• Ability to establish effective working relationships and maintain appropriate professional and personal boundaries with internal staff in a multidisciplinary care team, members in a diverse population, and with relevant community organizations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, positive interactions, and maintain professional boundaries. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate complex information.
• Ability to use discretion and work independently under general supervision.
• Ability to understand and adhere to the Professional Code of Conduct.
• Strong advocacy skills along with knowledge of community based services, resources, and local recovery community.

Qualifications and Requirements 

• State peer support certification required or willing and able to obtain within 6 months of hire.
• Additional minimal educational requirements vary by state, and may include:
• Bachelor’s degree in related field (Virginia and Tennessee)
• Experience with case management, care navigation, peer support or alike positions. 
• Experience with community-based support and lived experience preferred.
• Must meet pre-employment requirements and maintain all applicable state and job-related guidelines for background screening.  Depending on state-specific requirements, this may include fingerprinting, drug testing, health screening, CPR/Basic First Aid and license/credential verifications. 
• For remote roles, access to reliable internet and telephone services, specifically 10M download and 5M upload package or higher as well as a strong WiFi signal from your remote work location.
• Ability to travel to an office and within the community required.
• COVID vaccine required for all employees who are hired to work in an on-site setting, or who will be working at any time directly with our member population.  An exemption may be requested due to medical or religious reasons.
• You embody what Groups is all about: you care deeply about our mission; you are entrepreneurial, flexible and team-oriented; you have deep respect for the people we serve; you have unquestionable ethics.