Peer Counselor - Youth Mobile Crisis

Position Summary

Peer Counselors are individuals with personal history as a youth or as a parent of a youth who has been a recipient of behavioral health, child welfare, complex medical coordination or juvenile justice services who use that personal experience to collaborate, provide support and help facilitate services for youth and their families. Working as a member of a team, the Peer Counselor helps a youth or parent voice their own perspective and assures that other team members are able to understand their perspective and use that perspective in treatment planning.

Applicants must have first-person experience in accessing system services and be prepared to disclose their personal experiences with youth, parents and others.

Wednesday (9am-12am), Thursday & Friday (10am-12am)

• Collaborate with the treatment team for high-risk, clinically complex circumstances to support and help determine the most appropriate safety, crisis and treatment responses. As an active participant with the clinical treatment team, the Peer reviews, analyzes and makes improvements and modifications in the safety crisis plan that would improve youth and parent participation.
• Participate in child and family teams and in the assessment process with referred youth and parents. Relate personal experience to assist in building trust with the family and increasing hopeful engagement in services.
• Assess and review the youth and parent’s ability to communicate their position, preferences, strengths and needs. Find ways to relate personal experience to the experience of the youth or parent.
• Review personal history receiving services and disclose common elements to youth and parent being served. Reassure and communicate the recovery process to youth and parents, that “they are not in this alone.”
• Reach agreement with youth and parents about their functional strengths, passions and activities that will contribute to their healing and support. Assist in communicating that clinical information to the treatment team and through session documentation to Medicaid funders.
• Work in partnership with members of the clinician team and under the direction of the Clinician to provide peer support to youth and families identified in crisis and build strong working relationships to support coordinated care.
• Provide community support by identifying and connecting youth and their families to primary care, behavioral health, community and natural resources that benefit the consumer and family.
• Provide care coordination and case management services including:
  • Coach self‑management and stabilization techniques under the direction of the Clinician.
  • Identify natural supports, community resources, support groups and engage the youth and their family with those supports.
• Attend all required individual supervision, group supervision, all staff meetings, clinical training, community meetings, and other trainings asked to attend by management and supervisor.
• Promote Catholic Charities programs while meeting with other resources in the community.

• Responsible for upholding a culture of privacy and security in a highly confidential work environment (HIPAA covered entity service area).
• Complies with all Catholic Charities policies and procedures that involve access to and safeguarding of client Protected Health Information (all forms).

• Physical Requirements – Standing, walking, bending, lifting or performing other work requiring low physical exertion, talking and hearing on a regular basis up to 80% of the time. Ability to drive with adequate vision and skill.
• Job Conditions – Working in an office environment, in family homes, in and around the community. Regular working hours may occur any day of the week or time of day.
• Education – High School Diploma or GED.
• Experience – Must be a self‑identified consumer of mental health or substance use disorder treatment services in stable recovery for at least one year. Preferred:
  At least two years’ experience providing peer services.
• Special Skills – Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required. Strong family and individual…