Peer Support Specialist

Reports To:

Advocacy Program Manager

Location:

Hybrid, Contra Costa County, CA

Employment Type:

Part-time, non-exempt

Hours:

Up to 20-25 hrs per week

This position is eligible for the following benefits: 401(k) Plan Matching, Paid Sick Time, and 3 days of Paid Bereavement Leave.

The mission of Painted Brain is to create lasting community-based solutions to mental health challenges and the impact of social injustice through arts, advocacy, and enterprise. Painted Brain is an innovative peer-run mental health arts and tech forward organization that uses a peer model focus on recovery. Painted Brain defines a peer as any person with lived mental health challenges and or trauma including but not limited to: social injustice, interpersonal violence, and/or societal exclusion.

Our primary focus over the years has always been using the arts to help people learn to interact socially and effectively while experiencing the impacts of trauma, psychosis, depression, autism, anxiety, and other unwanted mental experiences.

Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Peer Support Specialists will be expected to work with individuals, families, and groups, providing outreach and non-clinical forensic treatment services and/or emotional support through various modalities such as 1:1 peer support sessions, group sessions, and sessions hosted in person, by telephone and/or online. The group counseling sessions will be regularly held group meetings focused on specific topics led by at least one support specialist.

• Facilitate one-on-one and group sessions with program participants for emotional and social support.
• Build and maintain trusting relationships with program participants by sharing personal lived experiences to foster hope and recovery.
• Conduct community outreach to educate the general community about Painted Brain Peer Support Programs and connect with program participants.

• Represent Painted Brain in the community and assist participants in navigating community resources with other agencies and partners.
• Advocate for participants to access necessary services and address systemic barriers.

• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate training, workshops, and presentations for program participants.
• Collaborate with Peer Support Specialists and Supervisor(s) to coordinate and facilitate participant activities and programming.
• Provide written documentation of outreach engagements and individual and group sessions through Electronic Health Record systems.
• Participate in regular team meetings, supervision, and training.

• High School diploma or equivalent; advanced education in related fields is a plus. Peer Training & Certification
  • Certification as a Peer Support Specialist (CMPSS)
  • OR 80-hour Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certificate training (Certificate of Completion required)
  • OR Training/Certification in-progress
• Have Personal Lived
  
  Experience:
  
  be self-identified as having experience with the process of recovery from a mental illness or substance use disorder, either as a consumer of these services or as the parent, caregiver or family member of a peer.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with empathy, patience, and the ability to build rapport quickly.
• Organizational skills for tracking participant progress and documenting interactions. Maintain HIPAA compliance and protect sensitive information.
• Proficient with Google Workspace applications, mobile devices, and digital platforms for data collection and communication.
• Have knowledge of the California Human Services landscape, community mental health systems, forensic treatment services, and trauma-informed care practices.
• Professional demeanor while representing the organization at meetings, events, or client sites.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders in-person and remotely.
• Ability to work with staff and community members from diverse racial, sexual orientation, gender identity and cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, including populations with re-entry, mental health, and substance use challenges.
• Strong public speaking, group facilitation, and training delivery skills, with the ability to present information clearly to diverse audiences in both in-person and virtual settings.

• At…