Peer Recovery Specialist II - Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
Annual Salary $37,058
Monday - Friday 8 am to 5:00 pm
Since 1971, Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board has provided a comprehensive continuum of high-quality, essential, and community-based services to citizens of the Peninsula who are affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders.
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) - The ACT program provides comprehensive community based treatment services to persons with severe and persistent mental illness in Hampton or Newport News who have been unable to make use of traditional outpatient mental health services. The goal of ACT is to lesson or eliminate debilitating symptoms of mental illness each client experiences and to minimize or prevent recurrent episodes of illness, assist clients to meet basic needs and enhance their quality of life, improve functioning in adult social and employment roles and activities, increase stability in community, decrease hospitalizations, and lesson the family's burden providing care.
Peer Recovery Specialist II has knowledge of the signs and symptoms of mental illness (i.e.auditory and visual hallucinations, aggressive talk and behavior, thoughts of self-harm or harm towards others, isolation) and the ability to assist the individual to address symptoms using strategies such as positive self-talk. Peer Recovery Specialist II provides peer support; serves as a consumer advocate; carries out rehabilitation and support functions; promotes recovery from substance abuse and/or mental health conditions; promotes employment, education, health, and community integration; and serves as a role model for personal recovery. The Peer Recovery Specialist II may assist individuals with basic physical, financial, social, personal, and recovery needs. Services carried out by the Peer Recovery Specialist II include outreach, monitoring, advocacy, daily living support, and similar functions.
Peer Recovery Specialist II - Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Ability to provide peer recovery counseling from the perspective of a person who has received mental health and /or behavioral health services.
- Skills in establishing supportive trusting relationships with persons with mental illness, substance use disorder and respect for their rights and personal preferences.
- Demonstrated comfort level with discussing experience as a consumer of mental health and/or substance use services in order to provide peer support to program individuals.
- Knowledge of the mental health system, and community resources
- Familiarity with psychotropic medications.
- Ability to interact in a professional manner with program participants, peers, and collateral agencies required.
- Demonstrated ability to operate safely in the workplace, with experience in holding peers accountable to safety standards.
- Ability to work autonomously and understand when a superior needs to be involved in decision making.
- Knowledge of the Recovery process and the ability to facilitate recovery using
established standardized mental health processes.
Peer Recovery Specialist Requirements: Registered Peer Recovery Specialist with the VA Board of Counseling (RPRS), which
includes the completion of DBHDS 72 hour Peer Recovery Specialist Training, and at
least one year of Peer Recovery Specialist experience.
Valid Drivers License.
The selected candidate must successfully pass a criminal history fingerprint background investigation, DMV record check, Child Registry search, drug screening test and employment reference checks.