Peer Support Specialist Youth - SMART

About the Role

The Youth Peer Support Specialist (YPSS) provides youth‑driven services for young people, increases youth engagement, and expands capacity for youth voice across the agency and community. Drawing on personal lived experience navigating behavioral health systems, the YPSS inspires hope, models respectful relationships, and helps youth enhance wellness, develop self‑empowerment strategies, and take concrete steps toward fulfilling, self‑determined lives. The role serves as an ally and advocate, promotes connection, builds rapport, and frequently involves travel to community settings such as family homes, schools, and other sites.

Responsibilities

• Provide support to youth who choose to engage with the peer support specialist.
• Develop authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and families through empathy, sharing experiences, listening, and collaborative curiosity.
• Identify and share information about community resources available to youth.
• Assist youth in identifying and building community and natural supports.
• Promote self‑advocacy by helping youth articulate personal goals and desires.
• Support the team and agency in collaborating with and engaging youth.
• Maintain open and frequent communication with the team, including reporting safety and other concerns.
• Participate in regularly scheduled supervision.
• Collaborate to ensure services and agency culture are youth‑driven, youth‑friendly, culturally and linguistically competent, trauma‑informed, and responsive.
• Educate youth and family members about mental health symptoms, treatment options, and community resources.
• Complete electronic documentation each workday as part of the agency’s medical record.
• Follow trauma‑informed principles (safety, trustworthiness, transparency, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, voice and choice, cultural/historical/gender considerations) in all interactions.
• Perform related work as assigned and adapt to changing requirements.
• Demonstrate ethical conduct in all professional activities and comply with agency policies and procedures.
• Provide assistance to the agency and staff as requested.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED.
• If not already certified as a Peer Specialist, obtain certification within 90 days of employment.
• Self‑identify as a user of mental health services with no crisis services utilized within the past year and no hospitalization within the past year (one short‑duration stay within a year may be considered).
• At least 12 months of treatment history for a severe and persistent mental illness.
• Background check required.
• Valid Texas driver’s license with a clean driving record.
• Ability to travel across the community and work in homes, schools, and other community settings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Personal lived experience navigating behavioral health and juvenile justice systems.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills; ability to empathize, relate to, and collaborate with youth and team members.
• Understanding of professional boundaries and self‑care principles.
• Willingness to disclose lived experience, when appropriate, for empowerment purposes.
• Basic understanding of mental illness, common signs and symptoms, and ability to identify coping difficulties in community settings.
• Bilingual ability is a strong plus.
• Affiliation with groups such as NAMI, DBSA, AA, NA, etc., is a strong plus.
• Clear, concise, well‑constructed written documentation.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries with other disciplines.
• Effective time‑management and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with basic word processing, data spreadsheets, and entering documentation into a database/online medical record.
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in English.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Robust retirement plan with generous company matching.
• Accelerated Paid Time Off accrual through prior service credit.
• Cell phone discounts.
• Entertainment deals via Tickets at Work.
• Free Headspace subscription for mental wellness.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Eligibility for various student loan forgiveness programs.

Schedule

Must be able to work holidays and on‑call shifts to support a 24/7 unit.

Additional Information

This posting is associated with position #4257‑81106. The Harris Center is the state‑designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority serving Harris County, Texas. As the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, it serves over 90,000 people, operates with an annual budget exceeding $300 million, and provides services at 80 sites in more than 40 languages and sign language. The organization employs over 2,500 staff members dedicated to transforming lives and giving hope to residents of the third‑largest U.S. county.