Peer Counselor NY

Empower. Unite. Care.

Metro Plus Health is committed to empowering New Yorkers by uniting communities through care. We believe that Health care is a right, not a privilege. If you have compassion and a collaborative spirit, work with us. You can come to work being proud of what you do every day.

Metro Plus
Health provides the highest quality healthcare services to residents of Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island through a comprehensive list of products, including, but not limited to, New York State Medicaid Managed Care, Medicare, Child Health Plus, Exchange, Partnership in Care, Metro Plus Gold, Essential Plan, etc. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health system in the United States, Metro Plus
Health
's network includes over 27,000 primary care providers, specialists and participating clinics. For more than 40 years, Metro Plus
Health has been committed to building strong relationships with its members and providers.

The Peer Specialist will provide supportive services to members with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorder History. The Peer Specialist will function as a role model to peers: exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills, serving as a consumer advocate, and providing consumer information and peer support for clients in outpatient and inpatient settings. The Peer Specialist will perform a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages, from young adult to old age, in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process.

This position will function as part of the interdisciplinary team designed to meet needs of both CORE and HARP members.

9:00AM-5:00PM

• Assist clients in articulating personal goals for recovery by conducting one-to-one sessions. During these sessions the Peer Counselor will support clients in identifying and creating goals and developing recovery plans with the skills, strengths, supports and resources to aid them in achieving those goals.
• Assist clients in working with their primary Metro Plus Health  Behavioral Health Care Manager and overall community treatment team in determining the steps he/she needs to take to achieve their goals and self-directed recovery.
• Complete HRA Housing applications and assist with Supportive Housing placements. Escorting members when appropriate to scheduled housing interviews.
• Assist with arranging transportation to and from scheduled PCP Medical Appointments.
• Lead as well as teach members how to facilitate Recovery Dialogues and overcome relapse fears.
• Support members working with assigned Parole Officers when they may be on Probation.
• Participate in BH HARP Team meetings, supervision, discharge planning & clinical rounds discussions.
• Accompany HARP members to initial HCBS appointments if their assigned CMA worker is unavailable.
• Utilize the personal lived experience with mental and emotional and /or substance abuse challenges to empower individuals served by the program to define and pursue their own strength-based recovery and wellness goals.
• Assist clients in building social skills in the community that will enhance their quality of life.
• Utilizing their recovery experience, the Peer Specialist will support and promote the value of every individual’s recovery experience.
• Provide peer support during crisis of individuals who are frequently high utilizers of emergency department services who fail to engage in community treatment.
• Assist clients in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma through self-advocacy. This will be accomplished through regular meetings, individual or group sessions. Through the use of role playing/modeling techniques the Peer Specialist provides opportunities for others to show/demonstrate how they have handled similar problems, how to present themselves in certain situations, or how to handle problems that may arise in interactions with others.
• With assistance from the Behavioral Health Care Manager Team Lead, the Peer Specialist will work with the members and other treatment team staff to develop a…