ACT Certified Peer Recovery Specialist

ACT Peer Recovery Specialist

Tesseract RVA
Richmond, Virginia
Full-time
$22–$26 per hour

Job summary

Tesseract RVA is seeking a compassionate and dependable Peer Recovery Specialist to join our Assertive Community Treatment team serving adults with serious and persistent mental illness in the Richmond area.

The Peer Specialist will use appropriate personal lived experience with mental-health recovery to offer hope, encouragement, practical support, and a recovery-oriented perspective. This is a community-based position that involves meeting clients in their homes and other community settings, participating in daily ACT team meetings, helping clients pursue meaningful recovery goals, and documenting services accurately.

The Peer Specialist is a fully integrated member of the multidisciplinary ACT team and helps ensure that the client’s voice, preferences, strengths, and recovery goals remain central to service planning. The duties below are adapted from Tesseract RVA’s existing Peer Specialist position description.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual peer support to adults with serious mental illness.
• Use lived experience thoughtfully and appropriately to promote hope, recovery, resilience, self-determination, and community inclusion.
• Help clients identify and pursue personally meaningful recovery, wellness, social, educational, housing, and employment goals.
• Model healthy coping strategies, self-advocacy, problem-solving, and use of natural and community supports.
• Support clients in preparing for appointments, communicating with providers, and participating actively in treatment planning.
• Help clients understand their rights and make informed choices about services.
• Assist clients with navigating behavioral-health, medical, housing, benefits, transportation, employment, and community-resource systems.
• Encourage participation in recovery activities, support groups, recreational activities, and other positive community connections.
• Participate in daily ACT team meetings, service planning, case review, and coordination of care.
• Share a peer perspective with the ACT team while maintaining appropriate confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Provide support during and following crises while working within the nonclinical peer role.
• Recognize changes in safety, functioning, or recovery status and promptly communicate concerns to the clinical team.
• Complete timely, accurate, person-centered documentation of peer-support contacts.
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, DBHDS, Medicaid, and Tesseract RVA policies.
• Participate in supervision, training, quality-improvement activities, and professional development.
• Perform other reasonable duties related to peer support and ACT service delivery.

Required qualifications

• Personal lived experience as a recipient of mental-health services for severe and persistent mental illness.
• Ability to use lived experience appropriately in a way that supports another person’s recovery.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Current Virginia-recognized Peer Recovery Specialist certification
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, and ethical peer-support practices.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, reliability, and organizational skills.
• Comfort working with adults experiencing psychosis, mood disorders, co-occurring substance use, repeated hospitalization, homelessness, or other significant community challenges.
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team while preserving the distinct nonclinical peer role.
• Ability to learn and use an electronic health record and complete required documentation.
• Ability to travel throughout the Richmond area and meet clients in homes and community settings.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Ability to successfully complete required background, registry, exclusion, and driving-record checks.

Virginia’s general Peer Recovery Specialist qualifications include a high school diploma or equivalent, completion of DBHDS-approved training, adherence to the Virginia Peer Recovery Specialist Code of Ethics, and certification through an approved certifying body.

Preferred qualifications

• Current CPRS or PRS certification recognized in Virginia.
• Prior paid or volunteer peer-support experience.
• Experience working in ACT, community mental health, crisis services, inpatient behavioral health, supportive housing, substance-use recovery, or a related setting.
• Familiarity with Richmond-area community resources.
• Experience supporting individuals with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance-use disorders.
• Experience facilitating or co-facilitating recovery groups.
• Familiarity with electronic documentation systems.

Schedule

This is a full-time community-based position. The schedule includes weekday hours and may occasionally include evenings, weekends, holidays, or participation in after-hours coverage based on ACT program needs.

The role includes travel throughout the Richmond area and regular work outside a traditional office setting.

Compensation and benefits

• $22–$26 per hour, depending on certification and relevant experience
• Health-insurance reimbursement benefit
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Mileage reimbursement or access to a company vehicle for approved work travel
• Training and certification support
• Regular supervision and professional development
• Opportunity to help build a growing, physician-owned ACT program

About Tesseract RVA

Tesseract RVA, operated by Tesseract VA LLC, provides Assertive Community Treatment services to adults with serious mental illness in the Richmond area. Our team provides practical, community-based support designed to reduce hospitalization, improve stability, and help clients pursue personally meaningful recovery goals.

Tesseract RVA is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, organizational needs, and the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.

Pay: $22.00 - $27.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $22 - $26