Peer Mentor

Young Adult Peer Mentor
- Community Services PACT-Y
- Waltham

Show your passion by empowering youth and families when joining the Wayside team! Wayside is one of Massachusetts' most respected youth and family-serving agencies, supporting more than 6,000 youth and families annually across Central, Eastern, and Northeastern regions. We invest in our employees' wellness with comprehensive benefits, including tuition and training reimbursement, a PTO package with 3 wellness days, 9 paid holidays, and up to 3 weeks of vacation in the first year.

Enjoy a learning environment with free training, CEUs, and more, along with exceptional medical benefits, financial health supports, and career development opportunities. Apply today and earn a $2,000.00 sign-on bonus (pro-rated for part-time)!

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network's Waltham site is hiring a Young Adult Peer mentor (YAPM) for an innovative, evidenced based model of treatment in Massachusetts, the Program for Assertive Community Treatment for Youth (PACT-Y). This program is a DMH funded, intensive, self-contained, community-based program, serving youth and their families. We are looking for individuals who are open to working Monday
- Friday with flexible scheduling. We provide a supportive culture that allows for a balance of personal responsibilities and professional development while contributing to the community.

What you will do:

• Work as part of a strong, collaborative, multidisciplinary team with the youth, young adults, caregivers and providers to ensure close collaboration and coordination of care.
• Share your own lived experience as an example of hope to youth and families who are experiencing distress.
• Provide emotional and social support to individuals receiving services.
• Support individuals in making positive life changes and developing skills to facilitate their recovery.
• Act as a mentor, assisting the individual's recovery process and supporting the individual's goals and decisions.
• Work directly with youth and ensure youth engagement in services.
• Encourage youth to have an active voice in their treatment.
• Assist youth served in navigating systems, to promote their awareness of resources and access to supports.
• Support and empower youth with skills and strategies to support their behavioral health needs.
• Promote and strengthen family's natural supports to foster a welcoming and supportive community for the youth.
• Ensure that the youths' rights are respected, particularly in regard to cultural competency.
• Collaborate with other community-based organizations to provide services and care for clients.

Competencies/Traits of Our Superstars:

• Talent connecting with people.
• Strong communication skills –both written and verbal
• Ability to assess and manage risk.
• Flexibility, creative thinking, and adapt to competing priorities.
• Excellent boundaries.

Minimum Requirements:

• Lived experience of mental health, emotional health and/or trauma resulting in significant life disruption.
• Willingness to share your recovery story in the context of peer support.
• High school degree or GED.
• Driving in the community is a requirement of this position; please ensure you have a valid driver's license and access to a reliable vehicle.

We will train you in:
Motivational Interviewing;
Courageous Conversations;
Attachment, Regulation and Competency Model (ARC);
Trauma Informed Practice;
Substance Use Intervention;
Risk and Safety Assessment.