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POSITION SUMMARY
The OnTrackNY Program, an innovative treatment initiative at Walton Family Health Center and Center for Counseling, serves adolescents and young adults within two years of experiencing the onset of non-affective psychosis. The Peer Specialist plays a vital and unique role within the multidisciplinary OnTrackNY team, working alongside program participants, their families, and other team members. By drawing on their own lived and living experiences of overcoming mental illness challenges, the Peer Specialist instills hope and serves as an ally, mentor, and advocate for young people navigating early psychosis.
This non-clinical role leverages principles of mutuality, reciprocity, and self-determination to support participants in achieving their personal goals. Through case management the Peer Specialist aids participants in their efforts to return to school or work, helps individuals understand psychosis, and develops skills for illness management both individually and in groups.
The Peer Specialist contributes to treatment planning with a focus on “youth-friendliness” and fosters a culture of respect within the team. They provide direct support services in various settings, including team meetings, the program site, community, or hospital, under the supervision of the OnTrackNY Team Leader. By emphasizing community support, social justice, and systems change, the Peer Specialist highlights each client's potential for a successful recovery trajectory, supporting and assisting program participants in overcoming the difficulties and uncertainties of early psychosis.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES
1. Outreach & Engagement: Engage with participants and families in OnTrackNY or those considering OnTrackNY. Promote community awareness of OnTrackNY services, and facilitating enrollment and ongoing participation.
2. Relationship Building: Develop reciprocal, supportive relationships with participants, utilizing mutual disclosure, empathy, and reflective listening to minimize power imbalances and increase trust. Selective self-disclosure about your lived experience with mental health problems, substance use, and other aspects of your lives. Your personal recovery story will instill hope and demonstrate goal attainment.
3. Embracing Creative Narratives: Support participants in exploring and defining their own experiences with mental health, offering alternative understandings of mental health and sensory experiences beyond the bio-medical model.
4. Co-Creating Tools for Success: Collaborate with participants to develop and utilize wellness tools, supporting their personal goals and self-awareness.
5. Supporting & Partnering with Families: Work with participants to identify and involve their chosen support systems, providing education and support to families to help participants and their families stay connected to the program.
6. Making OnTrackNY Better: Elicit stakeholder feedback from participants, families, and the community. Their experiences and perspectives about the program will lead to the improvement of the quality of the program.
7. Bridge Building: Serve as a liaison between participants, the OnTrackNY team, and community resources, facilitating connections and supporting self-advocacy.
8. Group Facilitation: Organize and lead groups for participants and families, promoting peer support and community engagement.
9. Community Mapping: Identify and engage with local resources, supporting participants in accessing community-based programs that integrate their interests into the world outside of mental health treatment programs. Understand the culture of the community in which the team is based.
10. Influencing Team Culture: Positively influence the team culture by emphasizing the perspectives and experiences that emerge from your own, and the participants lived and living experiences. Promote a recovery-oriented, inclusive, and youth-friendly culture within the team, advocating for the participant's perspectives.
11. Team Communication & Collaboration: Maintain open communication with team members, participating in collaborative documentation and ensuring integrated services.
12. Ongoing Professional Development: Pursue professional development opportunities and actively participate in supervision meetings with the OnTrackNY team lead.
13. Other duties as assigned.
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION
Required
Preferred
State Certification as Peer Specialist Ability to Obtain provisional certificate with 6 month and standard certification within 12 months of being hired.
X
WORK EXPERIENCE
Required
Preferred
Demonstrated interpersonal communications skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to effectively work with participants of mental health services
X
2 years of active participation in mental health self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, or participant run organizations or similar experiences of programs.
X
COMPUTER PROFICIENCY
Required
Preferred
Basic computer and internet navigational skills
X
Computer literacy with Windows-based operating systems and MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
X
Familiarity with electronic health records (EHR) technology
X
Full Time
$86k-110k (estimate)
07/01/2024
07/17/2024
institute2000.org
NEW YORK, NY
200 - 500
Private
NEIL CALMAN
$10M - $50M
Ambulatory Healthcare Services
If you are interested in becoming a Peer Specialist, you need to understand the job requirements and the detailed related responsibilities. Of course, a good educational background and an applicable major will also help in job hunting. Below are some tips on how to become a Peer Specialist for your reference.
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Quotes from people on Peer Specialist job description and responsibilities
Peer support specialists are mental health workers who have had experience with a psychiatric disorder such as PTSD, depression, or addiction and have been trained to counsel or assist others with that condition.
03/26/2022: Brockton, MA
Next, the peer support specialist schedules sessions to discuss strategies for achieving those goals.
01/21/2022: Green Bay, WI
Familiar with the disorder themselves, these specialists act as role models for clients facing similar difficulties.
03/31/2022: Allentown, PA
Peer Specialists provide experiences and a perspective to mental health services that only they have.
02/02/2022: Kansas City, KS
Peer specialists use of self disclosure and role modeling facilitated participants observational learning and helped set new social norms regarding health and behavior change.
02/14/2022: Boise, ID
Step 2: Knowing the best tips for becoming an Accountant can help you explore the needs of the position and prepare for the job-related knowledge well ahead of time.
Career tips from people on Peer Specialist jobs
A peer support specialist coach or mentor should not be confused with the 12 step sponsor.
03/07/2022: New Haven, CT
And empathy gained from a shared disorder helps specialists build a rapport with clients.
02/02/2022: Albany, NY
Peer support specialist workers may need to develop additional core competencies to provide services to specific groups who also share common experiences, such as family members.
01/22/2022: Beaumont, TX
Many peers have additional training and certification that demonstrates their skills and knowledge.
01/26/2022: Melbourne, FL
Peer Support Specialists have a common commitment to helping others, working from a strengths-based perspective.
01/29/2022: Bradenton, FL
Step 3: View the best colleges and universities for Peer Specialist.