Youth And Family Peer Advocate

Salary: $16.50-$17.00

Minimum Qualifications: Completion of NY state-certified peer support specialist training through OMH or OASAS. Peer Support Specialist Certification. Youth or Family Peer Advocate training and credentialing is expected within first year of employment

Major

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Youth & Family Peer Advocate is an active member in the FLACRA team and provides peer support services to clients with serious mental illness and or substance abuse. Under the supervision of the Clinic Director, the Youth & Family Peer Advocate will function as a role model to peers; exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills;

serve as a consumer advocate, providing consumer information and peer support for clients in outpatient and inpatient settings. The Youth & Family Peer Advocate performs a wide range of tasks to assist peers in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process. Recovery resources such as booklets, tapes, pamphlets, and other written materials will be utilized by the Youth & Family Peer Advocate in the provision of services.

Engagement for those entering treatment and in early stages of change are key tasks as well as helping facilitate successful transition out of active treatment.

Duties:

• 1. Serves as an active member of the client’s treatment team, including participation in team meetings and treatment planning meetings.
• 2. Assists clients/families in development of recovery plan, including crisis plan.
• 3. Provides psycho-education with focus on illness management and peer support through individual service provision.
• 4. Implements and coordinates recovery plans for individuals and families.
• 5. Serves as role model for clients by sharing own recovery process and teaching effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.
• 6. Provides case management, resourcing, service collaboration for clients/ families as extension of case management services.
• 7. Maintains accurate, thorough records on all assigned cases and uses documentation to assist clients in evaluating progress.
• 8. Provides advocacy services on behalf of clients/families.
• 9. Informs supervisor, and other members of treatment team as indicated, of issues/concerns related to individual clients.
• 10. Anticipates and participates in required training courses to maintain certification.
• 11. Knowledge of Crisis Intervention and Early Engagement
• 12. Helps facilitate outreach to clients struggling to engage in treatment
• 13. Other duties as assigned.

Other Skills/Knowledge and Experience

• 1. High School Diploma or GED.
• 2. Eighteen years of age or older.
• 3. Good interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills.
• 4. Knowledge of applicable population group and principles/philosophy of recovery.
• 5. Ability to multi-task, have good problem solving and time management skills and the ability to remain calm in a crisis.
• 6. Experience working with youth and families.

LIVED EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED