Registered Peer Recovery Support Specialist

Tandem Behavioral Health is Looking for Registered Peer Recovery Specialists

Somebody, somewhere, sat down next to you and said the words that made you believe recovery was possible for you. They didn't have a clipboard. They didn't have a degree in it. They had been where you were, and they had come back.

That's the job. At Tandem Behavioral Health, our Peer Recovery Specialists are the people who make recovery feel survivable, the ones who show up in the first 24 hours after a referral, who ride along to the first meeting, who help someone fill out a housing application at 9:00 AM and sit with them through the worst craving of the week at 2:00 PM. You will not be an add-on to the treatment team. You will be the reason people stay in it.

About the Role

The Peer Recovery Specialist (PRS) is a person with lived experience of recovery from mental health and/or substance use challenges who uses that experience to inspire hope, promote recovery, and support clients in reaching their own goals. You'll connect people to resources, build recovery skills alongside them, provide emotional support, and keep them engaged in treatment when the pull to walk away is strongest.

This is community-based work, not desk work. You'll be in cars, in living rooms, in DSS lobbies, in church basements at meetings, and in our IOP and PHP programs. You'll work in close partnership with counselors, case managers, assessment specialists, and clinical supervisors. Everything you do is delivered in alignment with Medicaid requirements, DBHDS regulations, and Tandem policy.

Why You'll Want This Job

• Your story is the credential. Lived experience isn't a bonus here — it's the core requirement of the role and the thing that makes you effective.
• A caseload you can actually carry. Ten clients maximum, full-time. We cap it on purpose so you can do this work well instead of just fast.
• Real supervision, on a schedule. Structured, protected supervision time — twice monthly in your first year — because peer work is emotionally demanding and you shouldn't do it alone.
• You'll see the whole continuum. IOP, PHP, community outreach, and crisis-level services under one organization. Few peer roles give you this range of experience.
• A team that treats peers as clinicians' equals. Your observations go straight to the treatment team, and they carry weight.

What You'll Do

• Show up first, and show up fast
• Walk alongside people in recovery
• Open doors to the community
• Keep people in treatment
• Document like it matters, because it does

We are looking for Full-time and Part-Time Peers. We are in need of late afternoon and evening shifts during the week. On weekends we are in need of day, afternoon, and evening shifts. 

Pay: $19.00–$22.00/hour, based on certification and experience. Tandem does not ask applicants for salary history. In accordance with Virginia Code § 40.1-28.7:12, Tandem Behavioral Health does not request wage or salary history from applicants, from current or former employers, or from third-party services. You will not be asked for this information at any point in our hiring process, and declining to provide it will not affect your candidacy.

Benefits

• 8 days PTO
• 3 sick days
• 2 paid mental health days
• Free CEUs
• Employer Group Health Insurance

• Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan

• Free Supervision

Qualifications

We are only hiring certified and registered peers at this time. 

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) — Registered with Virginia Board of Counseling
• Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery, and the ability to sustain your own recovery while serving as a positive role model.
• Valid Virginia driver's license and a clean driving record.
• CPR, First Aid, and Behavior Modification certifications (or willingness to obtain).
• Ability to clear a national and state background check and DSS Central Registry search.
• Basic computer skills — EHR systems, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, email and fax.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and assist clients with daily living activities as needed.

Preferred:

• Additional education or coursework in human services.
• Prior experience in a community-based, IOP, PHP, or crisis setting.
• Familiarity with Medicaid documentation standards and DBHDS regulations.

The competencies that make people succeed here:

• Strong organization and time management 
• Excellent verbal and written communication, and attention to detail in documentation.
• Discretion with confidential information, every single time.
• The ability to de-escalate tense, high-emotion situations without escalating with them.
• Genuine collaboration with clinical, administrative, and leadership staff.

Salary : $19 - $22