Job Description

Why work for CMHA York Region?

We deliver quality mental health and addictions services that promote recovery and health, and end stigma. 

Our Values:

Responsive to the needs of our clients, their families, and our communities
Respectful in how we meet the needs of our clients and staff in each interaction
Committed to delivering the highest quality of care, every time
Innovative in our approach to meeting our clients’ and communities’ needs
Inclusive in how we work and serve our clients

Team Values:

We create belonging
We build better
We deliver

We offer an inclusive, innovative, and high-performance work culture that helps us deliver transformational impact. The organization cares about the growth, safety and well-being of employees and offers:

Competitive Total Compensation (including salary, benefits, pension)
HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) 
Comprehensive Health Benefits (for full-time roles, 12 months or longer) 

Learn more about us by visiting: https://cmha-yr.on.ca/careers/

We are hiring a Peer Support Specialist!

Position: Permanent, Full-time, working 35 hours per week. Evening and weekends may be required. 

Salary Range: $56,444 to $68,429 per annum. *This represents the all steps in a seven-step salary grid. Candidate experience will be considered when determining the starting salary. 

Reason for Posting: An existing vacancy.  

Closing Date: February 10, 2026 

Location: The successful candidate will work primarily on the MOBYSS vehicle and report out of our Newmarket office, located at 1101 Nicholson Rd, Unit 5, Newmarket, ON, and will be required to frequently travel within York Region & South Simcoe for training, meetings, and client visits. 

Job Profile:

The Mobile Youth Walk-In Clinic (MOBYSS) offers a safe space to talk to a medical or mental health professional in a warm, welcoming, and friendly environment. Our mobile walk-in clinic is staffed by a nurse practitioner, youth mental health worker, and peer support specialist. Our services are 100% free and confidential with staff who are caring and non-judgmental. Are you concerned about birth control, STDs or pregnancy? Feeling down, anxious or coping with drugs and alcohol? Maybe you have a sore throat or another injury. Whatever your concerns, we are here to help. Services are free and geared for youth aged 12 to 25. 

Peer Support Specialist engages in a structured relationship providing mentorship, emotional support, problem solving, goal setting, crisis risk assessment and referrals to other community supports for clients ages 14 years and older with serious and persistent mental illness.

Peer Support Specialists have gone through a process of recovery and have obtained peer support related training to assist others with mental health challenges to identify and achieve life goals as part of their own recovery. In collaboration with their team, the Peer Support Specialist uses empowerment and Recovery-oriented approaches with individuals and groups to help combat stigma, raise self-esteem, and mastery, improve self-concept, and instill hope.

The Peer Support Specialist collaborates with consumers to provide individualized support to help engage and integrate clients into the community and help to facilitate access to resources and supports to maximize independence and potential and promote recovery. This individual will be running groups and will be providing one-on-one, short-term support where required. 

In addition to compliance with all organizational policies and procedures, the incumbent is also expected to behave ethically, demonstrate competence in effective communication and team building, demonstrate effectiveness in working in a collaborative environment, and demonstrate confidence in decision-making and in building relationships.

Requirements: 

A degree or diploma in the health or social services, or a related discipline.
Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) certificate considered an asset.
Four or more years working in the mental health system.
Personal experience with mental health and/or addiction, and established recovery.
Knowledge of the continuum of mental illness and service delivery field.
Knowledge of a wide range of formal services and informal supports in York Region and South Simcoe to link clients to services, supports and resources in the community.
Knowledge of systemic issues such as poverty, unemployment, stigma and the isolation felt by individuals with serious mental illness and their families.
Knowledge of Recovery principles and empowerment-oriented philosophies and practices in work with clients.
Knowledge of the Ontario Mental Health Act, mental health reform principles, the Substitute Decisions Act, and the Health Care Consent Act and PHIPA requirements.
Excellent computer skills required, including Microsoft Office Suite.
Highly developed interpersonal and communications skills.
Team player who fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Additional language with excellent verbal, written and reading comprehension is preferred.

Abilities

Demonstrated ability to observe boundaries, engage in appropriate emotional regulation, refrain from dual relationships with clients, and engage in reasonable self-care strategies designed to reduce stress by balancing work/life responsibilities

Able to travel in rural areas.

Additional Requirements: 

Ability to drive a 32-foot Recreational Vehicle. Driving instructions will be provided.
A valid Canadian driver’s license, a minimum $1,000,000 third party liability insurance.
A satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Screening or Police Check

This position reports to and is supervised by the Manager, People & Teams, of the above programs. 

Working Conditions: 

Operating a large vehicle, working in a vehicle, office work, community settings, meetings in clients’ homes and travel with clients. A satisfactory driver’s abstract will be required.

Weekends and/or evenings is required based on program needs

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an individual assigned to the job. This information is not constructed to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel in the job.

Disclaimer:  In keeping with mental health reform, best practices, funding, and direction, this position may later require knowledge, skills, abilities, and working conditions not noted here.

To request this posting in an alternate format or to request accommodation in the application process, email [email protected].

Application Procedure:  If you are interested in this opportunity, please visit https://cmha-yr.on.ca/careers/ and search for Youth Mental Health Worker, click on the “Apply Now” button, and proceed to upload your cover letter and resume.

Complete the application form and submit the following:

Cover letter with 300 words or less which tells us why you want the role and why you should be considered for this position. (PDF or Word document)
Resume (PDF or Word document) (applications received without a Resume attached will not be considered).

While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.                           

Required languages: English

Education level: Bachelor's Degree

Required skills: mental health, group facilitation, youth, psychoeducation, de-escalation

Closest intersection: Yonge Street and Gorham Rd