Caring for Two Recovery Coach / Peer Recovery Support Specialist

Position Summary:

Under general supervision, the Caring for Two (CFT) Recovery Coach is
responsible to the Outreach and Care Coordinator/PPI Supervisor. The Recovery Coach/Peer
Support Specialist provides outreach, education, peer support, and care coordination/navigation
services for pregnant and postpartum women (with a child up to 18 months of age) who have a past
history of substance use or who are at risk of future use and their families. This position requires
extensive travel across the greater Austin area and surrounding counties, including occasional
evening and weekend hours based on participant needs.
The CFT RC is responsible for engaging participants and ensuring services that support participants’
ability to enter into and sustain longer term recovery and wellness. RC assists participants to identify
and meet recovery and wellness goals, identify and cultivate strengths and supports, overcome
barriers and improve recovery capital in the areas of health, home, community and purpose including:
recovery from substance use, physical and mental health, economic stability, employment, education
and vocational goals, housing, transportation, life skills, parenting, family support, positive social
connections and activities, community integration and peer leadership. The Recovery Coach must
provide tracking data for sustainability of quality services.
Responsible for pre and post admission engagement and provision of recovery support services in
individual and group settings for current and potential participants in the pre-admission/waitlist phase
through admissions, formal treatment and community integration settings, including: face-to-face and
telephone coaching, developing individualized recovery plans, coordinating resource
referrals/linkages, conducting recovery support groups, and outreach and engagement.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
• Provides outreach, education, peer support, navigation and care coordination services for
families with a member who is pregnant or postpartum and who either has a past history of
substance use or is at risk of future use
• Implements a process for participants that assesses their strengths, challenges, and goals –
not just their substance abuse history, in multiple life domains.
• Implements a strengths-based assessment process for the participant to identify resources
and goals across multiple life domains that are best suited for the participant.
• Utilizes person-centered planning principles with participants to develop strength-based
recovery plans.
• Develop recovery wellness plans with participants based on the wants, needs, and interests of
the participant and engages with participant on a regular basis to identify progress and
address any barriers. Conducts face-to-face contact to discuss recovery wellness planning.
• Provides ongoing mentoring/individualized recovery support assistance
• Facilitates recovery support/peer support groups, recovery wellness activities and family
bonding activities.
• Serves as a liaison between participants and Children’s Protective Services (CPS) and the
medical community, as well as other systems of care. Provides ongoing care coordination.
• Collaborates with other members of the treatment/care team, whether internal or external,
including coordination of Plans of Safe Care
• Engages and retains participants and motivates them to adopt healthy behavioral changes,
Job Title: Caring for Two Recovery Coach / Peer Recovery
Support Specialist
Department: Caring for Two/Prevention and Intervention Services
Reports To: Outreach and Care Coordinator/PPI Supervisor
FLSA Status: Exempt
Prepared by: Insperity (th) Date: 8/29/23
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through a combination of sharing their own experience and hope and use of evidence-based
practices such as Motivational Interviewing
• Provides Mommies Toolkit for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) curriculum to mothers as
needed and assists opiate dependent women with accessing needed services.
• Provides services, referrals and care coordination activities
• Connects participant to community organizations that offer a wide array of community
resources and community integration.
• Ensures participants are connected to local resource(s), by contacting resources, scheduling
appointments, providing transportation, accompanying participant, etc.
• Collaborates with other recovery support/peer support groups, aftercare providers, churches,
corporations, alumni, and volunteer organizations.
• Maintains a resource directory of recovery support services that includes current information
on: location, contact information, services offered, days and hours of operation and eligibility
criteria.
• Participates in street outreach, as needed.
• Provides overdose prevention and other harm reduction activities
• Coordinate pre-treatment and care coordination services for individuals in need of formal
SUD treatment at pre-admission, admission, formal treatment and community integration
periods
• Engage women on the wait list to receive treatment services to provide interim services and
facilitate successful movement into treatment
• Uses recovery language and service delivery that reflects recovery.
• Ensures that staff and volunteers use recovery language in everyday conversations (e.g.
hope, respect, high expectations, etc.) with participants, their families, and supportive allies.
• Promotes engagement of family members in services as desired by participant
• Implements recovery-oriented practices such as motivational interviewing.
• Ensures participants have access to a diverse menu of recovery supports and services within
the substance use treatment environment from which to select based upon their identified
needs, goals and preferences.
• Provides intervention and support to participants who are at risk of disengaging from services.
• Provides flexible hours based on the needs of individuals seeking services. As needed, is
available for after-hours urgent issues that arise with participants or referral partners.
• Continues to engage with participants who have re-occurrence of use by identifying challenges
to maintaining recovery and readjusting their recovery plan.
• Conducts recovery checkups at 5 day and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month intervals with participants
who are in recovery, beyond the acute-care phase. Checkups can be by phone, face-to-face,
or internet-based.
• Works with staff and volunteers to shift from traditional hierarchical models of treatment to a
collaborative partnership-based approach.
• Participates in scheduled training and meetings.
• Documents specified activities and services in the Texas Department of State Health Services
(DSHS) and Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services (CMBHS) and other formats
as required.
• Participates in program data collection and quality improvement initiatives, to meet project
goals and promote program quality and sustainability.
• Maintains records and completes appropriate documentation
• Maintains all documents that require participant or staff signature in the participants’ physical
record for review.
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• Reports information fairly, professionally, and accurately when providing recovery services,
documenting services and contacts, and when communicating with other professionals, HHSC
and community-based organizations.
• Recognizes importance of self care and in collaboration with supervisor, takes time to engage
in relevant self care activities.
Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential
duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or
ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to
perform the essential functions.
Competencies: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following:
Communications – Expresses ideas and thoughts verbally. Expresses ideas and thoughts in
written form. Exhibits good listening and comprehension. Keeps others adequately informed.
Selects and uses appropriate communication methods. Able to establish empathy, focus on and
reinforce positive strengths and behaviors, and employ a trauma-informed approach. Ability to
work with diverse populations and cultural backgrounds.
Conflict Resolution – Encourages open communications. Confronts difficult situations. Maintains
objectivity. Keeps emotions under control. Uses negotiation skills to resolve conflict.
Customer Service – Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to
customer needs; Solicits customer feedback to improve service; Responds to requests for service
and assistance; Meets commitments. Open attitude towards multiple paths to recovery.
Dependability – Follows instructions, responds to management direction; Takes responsibility for
own actions; Keeps commitments; Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals;
Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.
Ethics – Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; Inspires the trust of others; Works with
integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.
Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes
information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving
situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Education/Experience:
A high school diploma or General Equivalent Diploma (GED) required. Two years’ related experience
and/or training working with women who are at risk of substance use or who have addiction or cooccurring disorders strongly preferred. One to three months’ experience with 500 hours and 250
supervised hours of directly related experience and/or training required. Previous experience working
as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist/Recovery Coach, Community Health Worker or Patient
Navigator strongly preferred. Solid knowledge of community resources and the recovery community.
Familiar with how to document services according to licensure and funder standards. Knowledge of
substance use and ethical standards required.

Language Ability:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical
procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and
procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of
managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Math Ability:
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions,
percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and
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geometry.

Reasoning Ability:
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret
an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several
abstract and concrete variables.

Computer Skills:
Demonstrated skills working with Microsoft Office and web-based programs (Word, Excel, Outlook
and Internet Explorer). Knowledge of CMBHS is preferred.

Training:
Training includes: MI, Trauma Informed Care; Ethics and Boundaries; Confidentiality; CLAS
Standards; Enhancing Cultural Competency; The Art of Facilitation; First Aid/CPR; MH First Aid;
Abuse/Neglect; PIAB; Community Resources including social services, mutual aid recovery groups
and faith organizations; Overdose Prevention; Suicide Prevention; Clinical aspects of
pregnant/postpartum care, including communicable diseases associated with substance use/abuse;
trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing techniques, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
(FASD).

Supports:
Weekly/ongoing support, recovery-oriented training and opportunities to discuss issues/strategies and
field observation feedback, opportunities for self care, peer leadership training and opportunities for
peer leadership development.

Certificates and Licenses:
Maintains a current Peer Recovery Coach/PRSS designation as required from Dept of State and
Health Services following completion of state approved training course. Provides proof of
recertification every two years or as required by state.
NOTE: Peer Recovery Support Specialists — must have certification with Texas Certification Board of
Addiction Professionals (TCBAP) or equivalent.

Approval Requirements:
Position requires approval from Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to work in TDCJ-funded
programs, if applicable. Must have at least one year of recovery lived experience as required by the
Dept. of State and Health Services. Must currently be in a recovery support group/stable personal
program of recovery.

Supervisory Responsibilities:
No direct reports. To create a stimulating environment that challenges the recovery coach/peer
specialist to promote Recovery-Oriented practices and information that helps them in their role, SMH
provides strong supervision to staff. This requires using strength-based feedback, setting professional
goals, and promoting continuing education. The Peer Specialist Supervisor provides supervision,
oversight, and training in the four domains of Recovery Support Services: Mentoring/Education,
Advocacy, Recovery Wellness, and Ethics

Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee
encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be
made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Position requires flexible hours. Local
travel required to meet participant needs and ability to function independently in community settings

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee
to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made
to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to lift and/or move up
to 10 pounds and up to 25 pounds on occasion. The employee in this position frequently walks, uses
hands to finger, handle and feel and reaches with hands and arms. The position occasionally requires
climbing or balancing; stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling; tasting and smelling. Specific vision
requirements include: close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception,
and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required
to talk or hear and frequently required to sit. There is occasional standing, walking and use of hands
to finger, handle and feel.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of
the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related
duties, as assigned by their supervisor.
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ACKNOWLEDGED: Supervisor / Manager Signature Date
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ACKNOWLEDGED: Employee Signature Date
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PRINT: Employee Name