Youth Peer Specialist

Nexus Family Healing is looking to add a Full Time Youth Peer Specialist to our East Bethel, MN Campus!

This new Minnesota Nexus PRTF location serves youth ages 10-19 who need a higher level of mental and behavioral health care. Our staff support the treatment, well-being, and personal growth of our youth to contribute to positive outcomes and brighter futures!

Join an organization that makes a true difference in the lives of youth and their families!

• Full Time, on-site opportunity - M-F 2:00pm 10:00pm (Occasional weekend and Holiday Support)
• Pay Rate: $21.00 - $23.00 per hour
• Located at: 900 189th Ave NE East Bethel, MN 55011

• Four weeks paid time off (PTO) in the first year of employment
• Plus Floating Holidays!
• Multiple options for health insurance coverage
• No-cost life insurance
• Short/long-term disability insurance
• 401k match
• NEW - Talkspace Therapy Benefit for the whole family
• NEW - Hinge Health Benefit for the whole family
• NEW Carrot Fertility Benefit
• Tuition assistance, discounts, and professional training opportunities
• Advancement pathways and internal promotion
• Internships opportunities
• And much more!

The Youth Peer Specialist supports youth during their transition from residential treatment. This position works collaboratively with the care team to develop and implement a detailed care plan that supports the youth during their transition from discharge to placement. This integral role serves as a champion and advocate to the youth, by supporting the goals, objectives, and progress in the youth's care plan;

empowers and educates youth to advocate for themselves long term.

• Meets with youth one on one who are ready for discharge from their high-end treatment facility; works to develop trust and rapport with the youth, demonstrating the ability to listen intently and learn about the youth's history and past.
• Acts with responsiveness to discern, learn, and understand the youth's experiences leading up to the discharge period; determines which information is most relevant to share with the care team, to be considered for integration into the care plan.
• Collaborates with the care team as needed to source placement opportunities that are well suited for the youth; interfaces with family, foster care, or alternate residences to source and prepare optimum placement for the youth.
• Uses influence to encourage the youth's family, foster families, or treatment facilities to consider the youth's progress and needs; educates caregivers of the resources and support provided by the program team, upon placement, to ensure the youth's success.

• Collaborates with the youth's care team to develop and implement a comprehensive care plan; understands the role of each care team resource and works to connect the youth to the appropriate resource as needed.
• Maintains ongoing consistent communication with care team members, program management and youth.
• Supports the youth in developing and enhancing formative skills including resume writing, job searching, interview preparation, organizing of finances, prioritizing schoolwork, obtaining a driver's license etc.
• Provides individualized support to youth; assists in breaking barriers to achieve the youth's goals including employment, educational, relational, leadership, citizenship, social and financial goals.
• Integrates the goals and objectives of the youth's care plan, into daily touchpoints, conversations and tasks that can be achieved over time by linking youth to various community resources.

• Actively listens to the youth to understand their experience and unique challenges; seeks ways to empathize and relate to the client while focusing on life skills enhancement, improvement and coping mechanisms.
• Develops trust and rapport with the youth by drawing upon personal lived experiences in an effort to empathize and relate to the client while maintaining professional boundaries
• Fosters an encouraging and nurturing relationship while balancing clear definitive boundaries with each youth; challenges clients appropriately to facilitate growth, independence and self-confidence.
• Serves as a champion and advocate for each youth by highlighting progress and providing encouragement and empowerment; seeks to create new opportunities that align with the youth's care plan and goals.
• Leverages the youth's care plan by conducting check-ins via phone and/or in-person visits; observes areas of success and opportunity and relays pertinent information to the care team.

• High School Diploma or GED
• Demonstrated lived experience, coping with adolescent challenges. (Personal experience may include but is not limited to experiencing foster care, residential treatment, juvenile justice or any transferrable or relatable experience to ongoing youth struggles.)
• Demonstrated interpersonal maturity and…