Intern - Recovery Support Specialist

General description of duties and responsibilites

The Intern - Recovery Support Specialist is a live-in transitional role assigned to residents progressing through the later phase of the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) program. Interns serve as peer mentors and contribute to the structure, safety, and daily functioning of the residential environment.

The role is a non-clinical, focused on peer engagement, life-skills reinforcement, role-modeling, and support of the daily milieu. Interns assist staff in promoting a recovery-oriented environment while demonstrating leadership, stability, and accountability.

Essential duties and responsibilitites

• Residential Engagement & Support
• Serve as a positive role model by demonstrating recovery-oriented behavior, health communication, and adherence to program expectations.
• Provide peer mentorship to residents, offering encouragement and guidance based on lived experience.
• Promote participation in scheduled activities, groups and routines.

• Life Skills & Daily Routine Support
• Assist residents in developing or practicing basic life skills, including hygiene, housekeeping, meal preparation, time management, and budgeting.
• Support vocational readiness activities as directed by staff (e.g., following schedules, adhering to attendance expectations).

• Program Facilitation
• Lead or assist with non-clinical groups such as community meetings, wellness activities, or routine life-skills sessions.
• Support implementation of daily schedules and reinforce program structure.

• Safety, Compliance, and Environment
• Monitor common areas to maintain safety, cleanliness, and adherence to house rules.
• Report safety concerns, behavioral issues, or incidents to supervisory staff in a timely manner.
• Assist staff with enforcing program expectations while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

• Documentation & Communication
• Complete brief, objective documentation of activities and observations in accordance with program procedures.
• Communicate relevant information to staff during shift exchanges, check-ins, or team meetings.

Scope of responsibility and limitations

Interns operate exclusively within a supportive, peer-based, non-clinical scope and are limited to working 10 hours per week with 120 days maximum in position.

Interns may

• Mentor peers through lived experience
• Reinforce treatment goals established by clinical staff
• Facilitate non-clinical groups and activities
• Support residents with daily routines and life-skills practice
• Document factual observations and participation
• Report concerns or incidents

Interns may not

• Provide counseling or psychotherapy
• Conduct assessments or evaluations
• Diagnose or interpret behavior
• Adjust or develop treatment plans
• Administer medications or supervise medication activities
• Provide clinical crisis intervention beyond alerting staff.

Knowledge/Skills

• 1.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills 2.
• Ability to engage peers in a supportive, non-judgmental manner 3.
• Consistency, reliability, and accountability 4.
• Ability to follow schedules, routines, and supervisory direction 5.
• Basic organizational and documentation skills 6.
• Ability to remain calm during conflict and follow escalation procedures

Supervison requirements

• Receives direct supervision from assigned program leadership
• Works collaboratively with residential and clinical staff
• Does not supervise employees but may informally guide newer residents

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not oversee staff.

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.

• Minimum Requirements
• Active participation in the program’s transitional phase
• Must reside full-time in the facility as a condition of the internship
• Demonstrate stability in recovery and compliance with program expectations
• Ability to model appropriate behavior and maintain professional boundaries
• Willingness to complete all required orientation and in-service trainings

Physical and Environmental Conditions

• 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.
• Frequent walking, standing, and interaction within a group-living setting
• Occasional light lifting (up to 25-30lbs)
• Exposure to varying behaviors within a residential environment
• Participation in indoor and outdoor programming as applicable

Position Purpose

This internship supports the residents’ transition toward independent living by developing leadership, responsibility, work readiness, and community engagement. The role reinforces the president’s own recovery while contributing to the stability and structure of the residential program.