Career pathway
Behavioral Health
Walk alongside people living with mental health and substance use conditions using peer, recovery and wellness approaches.
About this specialty
Professionals in behavioral health provide non-clinical support that complements therapy and psychiatry: engagement, warm handoffs, recovery planning, groups, and follow-up after crisis or hospitalization. Lived experience is often an asset in this pathway.
Communities served: Adults and youth living with mental health conditions, people in substance use recovery, and families supporting a loved one.
Careers to explore
Real roles members move into within this specialty.
Peer Support Specialist
Uses lived experience to support recovery
Behavioral Health CHW
Engagement and follow-up between clinical visits
Substance Use Navigator
Links people to treatment and harm reduction
Crisis Follow-Up Coordinator
Post-crisis outreach and stabilization
Wellness Program Coordinator
Runs groups and community wellness programming
Skills you already have
Transferable CHW competencies that carry directly into this pathway.
- Active listening
- Non-judgmental support
- Motivational interviewing
- Stigma reduction
- Boundaries and self-care practice
- Warm handoffs to providers
Skills to build
What can help you step into or advance within this specialty.
- Medi-Cal Peer Support certification
- Mental Health First Aid
- Overdose prevention and naloxone training
- Suicide risk screening protocols
- Co-occurring conditions basics
- Group facilitation
Recommended training
Professional development that supports this pathway. More programs are added each cohort.
Peer Support Specialist Prep
Unique Catalyst · Certification pathway
Mental Health First Aid
Partner training center · 1-day course
Harm Reduction Practices
County behavioral health · Workshop
Employment opportunities
A sample of the kinds of roles that appear in this specialty. Live postings live in the Career Center.
Peer Support Specialist
Behavioral health clinic · Riverside, CA
Full-timeSubstance Use Navigator
Recovery services nonprofit · Hybrid
Full-timeBehavioral Health CHW
Integrated care team · Fontana, CA
Part-time
Mentorship in this specialty
Soon you'll be able to discover members already working in behavioral health and request a mentor from within this pathway. In the meantime, explore our mentorship cycles.