Youth Peer Support Specialist

Youth Peer Support Specialist

Supervisor: Peer Support Supervisor

Status: Exempt

Position Summary:
The School-Based Youth Peer Support Specialist supports students in building resilience, achieving goals, and accessing mental health services within the school setting. Using lived experience, they provide individualized peer guidance, facilitate small groups, and connect youth to community resources. This role involves mentorship, advocacy, and collaboration with families, school staff, and providers to empower youth, promote recovery, and support positive outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Youth Support & Peer Guidance

• Provide individualized peer support aligned with each student’s needs, fostering choice, confidence, and independence.


• Facilitate small group sessions to teach recovery, resiliency, and life skills.


• Build rapport with students by modeling recovery and appropriately sharing lived experiences.


• Support youth involved with schools, DHS, the justice system, and family services in understanding and applying recovery principles to achieve life goals.


• Identify and connect youth to community resources, skill-building opportunities, and supportive services.


• Serve as an accessible resource during scheduled appointments and drop-in hours.


• Attend youth case meetings and other relevant meetings as needed.


• Maintain accurate and timely documentation.

Crisis & Safety Support

• Participate in the on-call rotation to provide crisis line coverage during scheduled times.


• Deliver crisis prevention, intervention, and post-stabilization support.


• Conduct screening, triage, safety planning, and referrals to appropriate levels of care.


• Coordinate with mental health professionals, hospitals, shelters, substance use treatment providers, law enforcement, schools, and families as needed.


• Support youth and families transitioning back into the community following hospitalization or crisis stabilization.


• Travel within the service area as required to respond to crises and provide support in community-based settings.

Organizational & Community Engagement

• Represent the organization at school and community events as needed.


• Perform additional duties to support organizational goals as assigned.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse populations and maintain professional boundaries.


• Ability to form cooperative relationships with colleagues, community partners, and families.


• Commitment to ethics, confidentiality, and professional standards.


• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.


• Valid driver’s license and insurable driving record.


• Minimum of an Associate’s Degree or equivalent relevant experience.


• Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use services, used appropriately to support youth-driven goals.


• Nebraska Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) certification, or ability to obtain within the required timeframe.


• Completion of required crisis response and state/agency mental health trainings.


• Ability to sit for extended periods, lift up to 15 pounds, and travel within the community as needed.

Heartland Counseling is an Equal Opportunity Employer