Job Title

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Engagement: Create a sense of community through the mutual sharing of lived experiences. Create professional boundaries when working with participants. Maintain a caseload Supervise peer specialist Facilitate engagement with teams by forging strong connections with participants and families. Undertake outreach activities designed to promote community awareness of client services. Encourage help-seeking, and at times serving as a bridge between team members and participants when they experience ambivalence about treatment or other services. Develop authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and families through empathy, listening and collaborating with genuine curiosity and interest. Understand, share and discuss multiple frameworks for understanding life experiences with participants and the rest of the team. Peer Specialists intentionally use language in the service of listening to understand and making space for complex personal stories of recovery and resilience. Advocacy and Support: Advocates for and facilitate access to needed health care services, proactively addressing potential barriers such as missed appointments, transportation, fear and stigma, and communication with professional staff. Advocate with and for program participants both in the larger community and on the team. Facilitate individual and group-based educational, recovery, wellness and skill building opportunities including: wellness self-management; WRAP; peer support; harm reduction; and other social or leisure activities. Collaborate with participants to clarify their personal visions and develop their wellness toolkit. Support participants in strengthening their self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and community outside of the team. Work actively within the team itself to help build an environment that operates from a belief in the human potential to grow and an understanding of human diversity. Accompany individuals to appointments and community/leisure activities. Carry a small caseload, as needed. Pre-Crisis and Crisis Support: Providing reassurance and support to an individual in distress or crisis. Employing non-clinical crisis support, especially after periods of hospitalization or incarceration. Assisting the individual with putting their wellness, crisis plans or recovery plan into action. Accompanying, supporting, and advocating on behalf of an individual in an emergency room or crisis unit or preparing to be admitted to detox, residential or other service to deal with crisis. Providing short-term post-crisis support to an individual who has been discharged from an emergency room, crisis unit, or crisis respite residence, or incarceration. Communication: Peer Specialists maintain open and frequent communication with the team. This includes reporting safety and other concerns to team members. Responsible for timely and accurate documentation including documentation of interactions with guests, services provided, critical information and events, contacts with collaterals and referrals, as required by client and program policies. Actively participate in agency and staff team meetings, individualized/team supervision, coaching and professional development activities. Attend all required trainings. Maintain the highest levels of confidentiality. Participate in required training and professional development activities. Perform other duties as required. Community Participation: Utilizing shared personal experience to support skill development that guides the individual towards a more independent life in the community. Exploring community spaces that promote integration, inclusion, and participation (bridging from the individual’s home to the community). Supporting the individual in attending community activities and appointments when requested. Assisting the individual to help connect to long-term natural supports that enhance the quality and overall security of life. REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Certification or Provisional certification as a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) OASAS and or OMH /CRPA certification Active participation in self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, or participant run organizations or similar experiences or programs required. Must have lived experience with the Mental Health and/or Substance Use Treatment system and willingness to share personal experience appropriately and respectfully. Understanding of the community in which the team is based with an awareness of available community resources. Experience working with families and youth /children Demonstrate good interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to and effectively work with participants. Must possess the ability/ willingness to disclose their recovery story (where appropriate) for the purposes of empowerment. Ability to utilize various computer programs, specifically Microsoft Word and Excel Bilingual a plus A Minimum of High School Diploma or equivalent or higher required Schedules Available:  Friday-Tuesday: 8am to 4pm Friday-Tuesday: 4pm to 12am