Certified peer support specialist with six years supporting adults in mental health and substance use recovery, drawing on lived experience. Supports 20 participants at a time and helped 75% of them stay engaged in treatment for six months. Brings recovery coaching, warm handoffs from emergency settings and trusted relationships with people others struggle to reach.
Experience
Peer Recovery Specialist, Second Chance Recovery Alliance (Pittsburgh, PA)
Jan 2023 – Present
Support 20 adults in recovery through weekly one-to-one sessions, recovery planning and community connections
Respond to 2 hospital emergency departments for warm handoffs, linking 140 patients to treatment in 2025
Helped 75% of participants stay engaged in treatment for six months or longer
Lead a weekly WRAP group and train new peers on boundaries and self-care
Peer Support Worker, Allegheny Drop-In Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
Sep 2021 – Dec 2022
Welcomed 40+ guests a day and connected them to housing, ID and benefits services
Distributed naloxone and trained 300 community members to use it
House Manager, Steel City Recovery Residences (Pittsburgh, PA)
Mar 2020 – Aug 2021
Managed daily operations for an 8-bed recovery residence
Education
A.A. Human Services, Community College of Allegheny County (Aug 2019 – May 2021)
Resources: housing, Medicaid, SNAP, ID recovery, recovery housing networks
How to write a Peer Support Specialist resume
A strong Peer Support Specialist resume shows the people and communities you served, the programs and funding you built, and the outcomes you can document for clients, funders and boards. Lead with scope and impact: the size of the systems, budgets or teams you influenced, and the decisions you owned.
Sections, in order
Summary
Experience
Skills
Education
Certifications
Length: One page is ideal; two pages are fine with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Summary: Open with your specialty and years of experience, then one or two signature results.
Skills to feature
Case management
Trauma-informed care
Program design and evaluation
Grant writing and reporting
Fundraising and donor stewardship
Volunteer management
Budget management
Community partnerships
Nonprofit CRM and case systems (Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Apricot)
Bilingual and culturally responsive communication
Example bullet points
Managed a caseload of 28 families and moved 82% into stable housing within 90 days
Wrote 14 foundation and government proposals that raised $1.3M at a 64% win rate
Recruited and trained 220 volunteers who logged 9,500 hours, the equivalent of 4.5 full-time staff
Tips from recruiters
Put licenses and credentials (LMSW, LCSW, CADC, CFRE) with the issuing state near the top, because many roles screen for them first.
Quantify outcomes funders care about, such as housing placements, retention rates, dollars raised or cost per client, not just activities.
Name the populations, funding streams and systems you know, for example HUD CoC, HMIS, Medicaid billing or Raiser's Edge.
Recommended templates
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Ivy (ATS-friendly): Harvard-style Times layout with centered headings
Peer Support Specialist resume FAQ
What should a Peer Support Specialist resume include?
A Peer Support Specialist resume should show the people and communities you served, the programs and funding you built, and the outcomes you can document for clients, funders and boards. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Skills, Education and Certifications. Lead with scope and impact: the size of the systems, budgets or teams you influenced, and the decisions you owned.
What is the best resume template for a Peer Support Specialist?
Classic, Modern and Ivy work well for Peer Support Specialist roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Peer Support Specialist resume be?
One page is ideal; two pages are fine with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Which skills should a Peer Support Specialist put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Peer Support Specialist roles are Case management, Trauma-informed care, Program design and evaluation, Grant writing and reporting, Fundraising and donor stewardship and Volunteer management.
How do I write strong Peer Support Specialist resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as clients served, caseload size and program outcomes. For example: "Managed a caseload of 28 families and moved 82% into stable housing within 90 days."