Crisis Peer Support Specialist (CPS) Lancaster County

Crisis Peer Support Specialist (CPS)

Summary

Are you ready to use your lived experience to make a difference in someone’s most critical moment? As a Crisis Certified Peer Support Specialist at Peerstar, you’ll bring hope, connection, and recovery-focused support to individuals experiencing mental health and/or substance use crises - responding in the field, on the phone, and in the community alongside a dedicated behavioral health crisis team.

Benefits

• Health Insurance (Full-Time only)
• Dental & Vision Insurance (Full-Time only)
• 401k with Match
• Paid Time Off
• Referral Bonus

About the Role

The Crisis Peer Support Specialist is a responsive, self-directed professional who provides immediate and ongoing peer support to individuals in behavioral health crisis. Working under the direction of crisis staff, this role involves mobile field response, crisis call center support, and community-based follow-up - all grounded in the power of shared lived experience.

This position is expected to meet the following productivity standards:

• A minimum of 1,500 minutes per month of active case involvement
• A minimum of 5 crisis mobile outreaches per month (or as needed)
• Availability to assist with mobile outreaches up to two hours prior to the end of scheduled shift
• Provide limited follow-up support to individuals after the crisis situation resolves to assist with care navigation and coordination

What You’ll Do

• Respond to referrals and requests for peer support within the behavioral health crisis system
• Engage individuals in screening and initial needs identification
• Provide peer support during crisis situations - in person, over the phone, or via mobile response
• Use lived experience to build trust, support de-escalation, and promote recovery
• Assist individuals in developing and working toward personal recovery goals
• Help navigate behavioral health, medical, and community resources
• Collaborate with crisis staff, clinicians, and community providers on care coordination
• Support safety planning and connection to ongoing services
• Participate in team meetings for case review and coordination
• Complete timely, accurate documentation in accordance with agency, county, and state requirements

Qualifications

• PCB Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) in Pennsylvania
• Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery
• 18 years of age or older
• High school diploma or GED (preferred)
• Valid driver’s license and access to reliable transportation (required while on shift)
• Criminal history clearances: PA State Police, Child Abuse, FBI Fingerprinting
• Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office or similar)

Preferred

• Experience in crisis services or behavioral health settings
• Familiarity with Pennsylvania behavioral health systems
• Experience with electronic health record (EHR) documentation systems

Our Peer Support Approach

At Peerstar, peer support is more than a service - it’s a philosophy. Our Crisis CPS team operates with these core principles:

• Recovery-Focused: We believe in hope. Peer Specialists help individuals identify their strengths and move toward a life that is meaningful to them.
• Person-Driven: Services are guided by the individual. We support - not direct - the process, ensuring goals and decisions come from the person receiving support.
• Voluntary: Engagement is always a choice. Peer Specialists act as partners, respecting autonomy and meeting people where they are.
• Relationship-Based: This work is built on trust, respect, and real human connection - not clinical distance.
• Trauma-Informed: All interactions prioritize safety, empowerment, and an awareness of how trauma shapes behavior and engagement.

About Peerstar

Peerstar is Pennsylvania’s largest and most established peer support provider, operating exclusively in the peer support space since 2008. We employ Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) and Certified Recovery Specialists (CRS) - individuals with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges - who receive specialized training to support others on their recovery journey.

Our services are

• Goal-oriented and structured, with individualized recovery plans (IRPs) focused on specific, achievable objectives
• Medicaid-funded, making them accessible to those who need them most
• Home and community-based, meeting peers literally where they are
• Complementary to clinical treatment, working alongside therapists and doctors
• Culturally responsive, adapting to diverse backgrounds and needs
• Available statewide, serving 35 counties across Pennsylvania