Peer Support Specialist - 1st Shift 8am - 4pm - Gaudenzia

We need hope-bringers and changemakers — because the work we all do matters. If you’re passionate about making an impact with your time and being someone’s light in the darkness, we want you on our team.

Come Join Us to Do Mission-Based, Meaningful Work

Who We Are

Gaudenzia is one of the largest nonprofit providers of treatment to people with substance use and co-occurring disorders in the nation. We operate in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.  

Our caring, compassionate team is on a mission to save thousands of lives each year and bring hope to people devastated by substance use disorder. Together, we help individuals, families, and communities heal and thrive in the face of one of the most devastating public health crises of our time.

As our organization grows and evolves to meet the needs of our clients and communities, we’re seeking passionate, empathic individuals to help us make an impact. With your help, we can turn the tide on substance use disorder.    

Who We’re Looking For section:

As a Certified Peer Specialist, you will provide support services, mentorship, and advocacy for persons in recovery from a substance use disorder. You are skilled at developing supportive and authentic peer relationships, maintaining ethical and professional boundaries, and respecting each individuals’ unique path to recovery. Under the supervision of the Program Director, Clinical Supervisor, or designee additional duties include: collecting and disseminating information and recovery resources; providing flexible peer support; assisting individuals in developing and adhering to recovery plans; assisting individuals in accessing community resources; and reinforcing skills and strategies supportive of recovery.

Work is performed in accordance with established regulations, and policies and procedures; however, this individual is expected to exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment in achieving objectives.

Your responsibilities in this role may include:

1. Treat all clients and staff with dignity and respect.
2. Maintain professional ethical boundaries and the confidentiality of all individuals supported.
3. Assist individuals in recovery with articulating their personal goal(s) for recovery and developing their individualized recovery/ aftercare plan.
4. Identify and support linkages to community resources (communities of recovery, educational, vocational, social, cultural, spiritual resources, mutual self- help groups, professional services, etc.) that support the individual’s goals and interests.
5. Identify barriers to full participation in community resources and work with individuals to develop strategies to overcome those barriers.
6. Liaison with established community support groups and advocate for effective recovery-based services.
7. Role model and assist individuals with effective techniques for coping, self-advocacy, problem-solving, and self-help.
8. Assist individuals in building and reinforcing newly learned social skills in the community that will enhance their job acquisition and tenure
9. Accompany recovering person to appointments, meetings, and other events in the community, as needed.
10. Attend the treatment team meetings to promote individuals’ use of self-advocacy and self-directed recovery tools and support individuals in presenting their own agenda/progress, etc. at the team meeting.
11. Coordinate with treatment team to communicate the progress that the person in recovery makes toward meeting their objectives.
12. Monitor urinalysis testing of clients, as directed.

Benefits & Perks:

Gaudenzia is a diverse, inclusive workplace where purpose-driven people thrive. We think our team members are real heroes, and we believe those who devote their lives to making the world a better place deserve competitive salaries, generous health benefits, and unbeatable work-life balance in return.

Benefits & Perks at Gaudenzia include:

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance (At No Cost)
• Short-Term Disability Insurance (At No Cost)
• Life Insurance (At No Cost)
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (At No Cost)
• Vision Insurance
• Various Supplemental Benefits (Aflac, Legal, Identity Theft & FSA)
• You generate two banks of time off: Personal and Vacation
  • Paid Time Off (PTO) Accruals at 80 hours minimally during your 1^st year of employment
  • Vacation Accruals at 80 hours minimally during your 1^st year of employment
• 10 Paid Holidays Per Calendar Year
• Paid Bereavement Leave
• Education Assistance Benefit (Tuition Reimbursement)
• Full reimbursement for the cost of professional license/certification renewals
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with an Employer Match Up to 5%
• Employee Assistance Program

Gaudenzia is an equal opportunity employer. We do not practice or permit discrimination based on race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, religion, creed, disability, or veteran’s status.

Education/ Training:  Must have high school diploma/G.E.D.  A certification as a Certified Recovery Specialist is a plus!

Experience:  At least 12 months of related experience.

What Matters to Us? Our Mission & Our Operating Principles

Our Mission 
Gaudenzia aspires to connect individuals and families to addiction and mental health treatment so they can attain long-term recovery and achieve a fulfilling life embraced by a broad community of mutual support. 

Our Operating Principles:

We, as members of the Gaudenzia Team, are committed to these principles. They guide the way we perform Gaudenzia business, every day.

1. We hold client care as our top priority.
2. We assume good intentions.
3. We are present, we connect, and we communicate with transparency, dignity, and respect.
4. We make data-driven decisions with courage, challenge the status quo, and find innovative ways to grow Gaudenzia and each other.
5. We support each other publicly and privately in all circumstances.
6. We provide and accept constructive, honest, respectful, and timely feedback with an open mind and without personalization.
7. We operate with integrity, focus on outcomes, and have a bias for action.
8. We follow through on agreements and honor commitments prioritized with a sense of urgency — someone’s life may depend on it.

Gaudenzia is proud to be an employer of choice — and a treatment provider of choice — in the substance use and co-occurring disorders treatment field. We work hard to foster an inclusive, supportive environment where our employees and clients always feel safe and welcome. Come work with us!