Function:

The Peer Support Specialist uses personal lived experience with recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both to build hope, connection, and confidence with individuals receiving Akeela services. Working as a distinct member of the interdisciplinary team, the Peer Support Specialist provides recovery-oriented and person-directed support through individual contacts, groups, skill building, resource navigation, advocacy, and community connection. Peer services complement, but do not replace, clinical treatment, case management, counseling, or crisis-response functions. Akeela maintains two levels within this position. Peer Support Specialist I is the entry and developing level. Peer Support Specialist II is the certified and proficient level and performs the same core function with greater independence. Akeela may hire at either level based on experience, training, certification, and demonstrated competency.

Competencies:

The Peer Support Specialist must be able to demonstrate competency in the following areas:

SKILLS:

1. Building respectful, mutual, and recovery-focused relationships while maintaining the role clarity and boundaries of a peer professional 2. Using lived experience intentionally and selectively to communicate hope and support client-defined goals 3. Engaging clients through strengths-based, person-directed, motivational, and nonjudgmental approaches 4. Facilitating individual and group peer support within the employee's training and assigned scope 5. Supporting self-advocacy, recovery planning, wellness, coping, community participation, and independent-living skills 6. Navigating community, cultural, spiritual, educational, vocational, housing, health, transportation, and recovery resources 7. Communicating and collaborating effectively with clinical, residential, medical, case management, and administrative staff 8. Completing timely, accurate, person-centered documentation in an electronic health record 9. Recognizing increased risk or crisis and promptly involving designated clinical, supervisory, medical, or emergency personnel 10. Using supervision proactively when navigating boundaries, dual relationships, triggers, or questions about the peer role

KNOWLEDGE

1. Understanding peer support values, the National Practice Guidelines for Peer Specialists and Supervisors, and applicable peer ethical standards. 2. Understanding recovery as a person-directed process with multiple pathways, including clinical, mutual-aid, cultural, spiritual, and community-based supports. 3. Understanding the distinction between peer support and clinical treatment, counseling, case management, medical services, and crisis response. 4. Understanding confidentiality, client rights, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, mandatory reporting requirements, and Akeela policy. 5. Understanding trauma-informed care, cultural humility, recovery capital, motivational approaches, harm reduction, and wellness planning. 6. Understanding documentation and payer requirements, including the need to connect each peer service to an identified treatment or service-plan goal. 7. Understanding Anchorage and statewide behavioral health, recovery, housing, benefits, employment, transportation, and other community resources.

BEHAVIOR

1. Demonstrating hope, empathy, authenticity, respect, and belief in each person's capacity for recovery. 2. Maintaining professional boundaries and avoiding financial, romantic, social, or other dual relationships with current clients. 3. Respecting client choice and supporting multiple pathways of recovery without prescribing a single path. 4. Practicing cultural humility and communicating respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds. 5. Maintaining reliability, accountability, confidentiality, and ethical conduct. 6. Balancing empathy with appropriate role limits and avoiding rescuing, directing, or making the interaction about the employee's own experience. 7. Responding with flexibility to changing client and program needs while remaining within the peer role. 8. Demonstrating self-awareness, personal wellness, emotional resilience, and appropriate use of supervision. 9. Collaborating as a team member while preserving the unique purpose and perspective of peer support. 10. Performing other related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1.

Peer Engagement and Recovery Support Establish supportive, professional, and recovery-focused relationships with clients. Use lived experience purposefully to foster hope, reduce shame and isolation, and support client-defined goals. Engage clients who may be ambivalent, discouraged, newly entering treatment, transitioning between levels of care, or reconnecting after a setback. Model recovery, self-advocacy, personal responsibility, wellness, and effective use of support systems. 2. Individual and Group Peer Services Provide individual peer support consistent with the client's treatment or service plan and the employee's assigned scope. Facilitate or co-facilitate peer groups, recovery activities, alumni activities, community-connection activities, and skill-building opportunities. Support development of coping, wellness, communication, relationship, recovery-planning, and independent-living skills. Encourage client choice and self-direction and avoid providing clinical advice or directing the client's recovery path. 3. Resource Navigation and Community Connection Help clients identify natural supports and connect with recovery, cultural, spiritual, educational, vocational, housing, health, transportation, and other community resources. Support clients in preparing for and following through with community-based appointments and recovery activities. Promote social connection, community belonging, and development of recovery capital. 4. Interdisciplinary Collaboration Collaborate with clinical, residential, case management, medical, and administrative staff while preserving the distinct peer role. Communicate relevant observations, client preferences, barriers, progress, and safety concerns to the appropriate team member. Participate in treatment-team meetings, staff meetings, supervision, training, and quality-improvement activities as assigned. Avoid duplicating clinical, counseling, case management, or medical services. 5. Documentation, Productivity, and Compliance Complete timely, accurate, and person-centered documentation in Akeela's electronic health record. Clearly document the peer service provided, its relationship to an identified goal, the client's response, and planned follow-up. Meet productivity, direct-service, scheduling, billing, and documentation expectations established for the assigned program and funding source. Protect client rights, privacy, and confidentiality and comply with

HIPAA, 42 CFR

Part 2, mandatory reporting requirements, Akeela policy, and applicable peer ethical standards. 6. Safety, Crisis Response, and Role Boundaries Recognize signs of increased risk or crisis and promptly involve designated clinical, supervisory, medical, or emergency personnel in accordance with Akeela procedures. Remain within the peer role and do not diagnose, provide psychotherapy or substance use disorder counseling, independently develop or alter treatment plans, or dispense clinical advice. Transport or communicate with clients only through methods and procedures approved by Akeela. Bring questions about scope, boundaries, dual relationships, or ethical concerns to the supervisor before acting whenever practicable. 7. Professional Development and Program Growth Maintain required training and certification and complete continuing education necessary for credential renewal. Use supervision and feedback to strengthen peer practice, documentation, boundaries, teamwork, and resource knowledge. Contribute peer perspective to program planning, client-engagement strategies, quality improvement, and development of Akeela's peer support services. Represent Akeela professionally in program and community settings.

Qualifications and Requirements:

Education :

High school diploma or GED required for both levels.

Lived Experience :

Personal lived experience of recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both, with the ability to use that experience purposefully in support of others. Candidates are not required to disclose diagnoses, treatment histories, or other private details beyond what is necessary to establish qualification for the role.

Peer Support Specialist I :

At least one year of relevant work, volunteer, advocacy, recovery-community, or direct-service experience preferred. An active ACBHC Peer Support Professional Associate credential is preferred at hire. If not held, the employee must complete an approved basic peer support training within 90 days and obtain the entry credential within six months of hire.

Peer Support Specialist II :

An active ACBHC Peer Support Professional I (PSP I) credential or higher and at least one year of peer support or closely related behavioral health experience are required. The employee must demonstrate proficiency in peer engagement, documentation, ethics, boundaries, teamwork, and resource navigation.

Career Advancement :

A Peer Support Specialist I may be considered for advancement to Peer Support Specialist II after at least 12 months in Level I, attainment of the PSP I credential or higher, satisfactory performance, and demonstrated competency in all Level II expectations. Advancement is not automatic and requires verification of qualifications, organizational need, and approval through Akeela's personnel process.

Certification Maintenance :

The employee must maintain all required credentials in active status and complete renewal and continuing-education requirements within established timeframes.

Computer Skills :

Ability to use an electronic health record, email, Word, and other standard Microsoft applications.

Conditions of Employment :

Ability to meet applicable background-check, exclusion-screening, driver, and other requirements established by Akeela, law, regulation, contract, or payer. Peer Support, Peer Support Specialist