Peer Specialist

Description

The Peer Specialist uses own lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction, in addition to skills acquired from formal training to deliver services in behavioral health settings to promote recovery and resiliency of others. Peer Specialists perform a wide variety of non-clinical tasks to assist clients in regaining control over their own lives and the recovery process.

To perform this job successfully, and 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.

• Ensures clients are fully educated on their rights.
• Advocates for clients by reporting unresolved issues.
• Improves client service experiences to promote engaged clients.
• Supports clients in the process of resolving complaints.
• Attends local recovery meetings.
• Develops and oversees advocacy and peer support activities at the outlying offices.
• Develops and co-facilitates education activities with designated clients and families.
• Facilitates strength-based recovery group meetings for adult clientele.
• Maintains a professional demeanor and confidentiality during the problem-solving process involving clients and co-workers.
• Schedules and coordinates appointments for clients with clinicians.
• Serves as a source of general information regarding recovery for mental health and substance abuse issues.
• Participates in required training and attends staff meetings.
• Maintains regular and predictable attendance of assigned work shifts.
• Performs various advocacy or peer support tasks as assigned.
• Works closely as a part of a clinical team, coordinating client interactions with the team and following the client treatment plan, with supervision.

• Uses system data to make decisions in client advocacy and activity facilitation in the best interests of the clients.
• Communicates peer perspective with diverse clinical team members.
• Provides consultation and support to other peer specialists regarding ethical decision-making, advocacy boundary challenges as needed.
• Reviews peer specialist documentation and provide training as needed to build skill level.
• Participates in treatment plan development as required.
• Participates in activities and initiatives to eliminate prejudice and discrimination surrounding mental illness and or substance use disorders.
• Facilitates recovery focused support groups.

• Assists in the coordination of department goals and work assignments of other peer specialists.
• Helps frame questions for analysis, provides input into report design and reports and extrapolates system data to provide data-based input for department-level decisions related to client advocacy and engagement activities.
• Helps set department goals, provides input for budget, staffing, and assignments in support of department leaders.
• Oversees peer specialist documentation in support of department revenue targets.
• Represents the agency at local and state events to positively impact policy-making efforts.
• Works with community partners to conduct needs assessments and identify resources regarding client service needs.
• Designs and/or participates in small studies to build peer specialist-based knowledge.
• Utilizes experience and education to design client intervention strategies.

• Trains and supervises peer specialist regarding the integration of symptoms/behaviors with client recovery goals.

• Employer-paid Life insurance
• Medical and behavioral health benefits
• Dental
• Vision
• 6% employer match retirement, 100%…