Peer Support Specialist Substitute

Are you looking for an opportunity to use your mental health recovery experience to build community and empower others experiencing mental illness? At Thresholds, we believe in meeting people where they’re at – in their environment and on their journey to recovery. As a Peer Support Specialist, you will foster connection and mutual support in one of Thresholds’ New Freedom Centers. We value personal lived experiences with mental health recovery and are seeking a peer professional, who either has the CRSS (Certified Recovery Support Specialist) credential or is able to get the CRSS within a year.

Thresholds’ New Freedom Centers are operated by peer professionals 7 days a week and create community to aid Thresholds’ clients in their transition to community life after an experience with a group care setting. We offer a range of daily, drop-in activities and programming that include art groups, basic living skills, volunteer opportunities, and holiday parties.

As a Peer Support Specialist, you will welcome clients to the drop-in center and build community through a variety of activities to combat loneliness. You may make and eat lunch together, chat one-on-one, play games, or organize activities. You will teach basic living skills, practice using coping skills, connect visitors to community resources, and develop client empowerment skills through self-advocacy and stigma-busting. You will share your recovery story with our clients in a mutual, two-way helping process where you will learn from each other and model that recovery can happen.

The culture at Thresholds is compassionate and supportive, providing you with the tools and resources you need for the best client care. Opportunities for training and professional development will deepen your knowledge and expand your clinical skills in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and other evidence-based practices. To support the CRSS credential, we offer free clinical supervision, fee reimbursement, and scholarship opportunities. This invaluable experience will set you up for a variety of career paths and growth opportunities within our organization.

To succeed in this role, you need:

• Lived and living experience with personal mental health recovery
• Passion for mental health advocacy
• Effective communication and relationship-building skills
• To be at least 21 years old
• A valid driver’s license, current car insurance, and daily access to a car
• Willingness to provide transportation to clients
• Availability to work Monday ( 8:30 AM- 5:00 PM, Tuesday ( 8:30 AM- 6:30 PM, Wednesday (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM), Thursday ( 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM, Friday ( 8:30 AM -5:00 PM), Saturdays (8:30 AM -4:00 PM and Sundays (8:30 AM - 4:00 PM)
  • ON-CALL periodically

Education and experience:

• High school diploma or GED certificate required
• Active CRSS credential preferred

What sets Thresholds apart: 

• Additional increase with current CRSS
• Robust employee assistance program (EAP)
• Public service loan forgiveness 
• Supervision for clinical licensure at no cost (CRSS, LSW, LCSW, LPC, LCPC) 
• Reimbursement for professional licensure and license renewal

Thresholds is a mission-driven agency with a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We foster an environment where all feel valued and respected, a place where every employee can be themselves, thrive, and support the agency’s mission. Click here to learn more.

One of the oldest and largest community mental health organizations in Illinois, we pride ourselves in being a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace and one of Chicago’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, several years in a row.