Peer Support Specialist (MHRC)

Gateway Community Services is proud to be a recognized leader in addiction treatment for adults and adolescents in the Northeast Florida region. Since 1978, Gateway has been committed to providing compassionate services to those lost in the despair of addiction.

POSITION: Certified Peer Recovery Specialist

REPORTS TO: MHRC Manager - Gateway

POSITION OBJECTIVES

The PSS position provides non-clinical, evidenced-based support services by performing tasks designed to assist patients in wellness and recovery to promote self-advocacy. Must be a true Peer; this means that the peer specialist is also a consumer of public or private mental health/substance abuse use services

Under supervision of the Director of Screening and Assessment, the Peer Recovery Specialist serves as an advocate and functions as a role model to peers; exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills. The Peer Recovery Specialist’s responsibility is to establish rapport with patients as well as to teach, lead, and mentor patients to reach personal wellness and recovery goals.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Advocate for the patient to promote individual choice and self-determination.

2. Help the patient develop self-advocacy skills.

3. Identify and communicate gaps in the service system that result in unmet needs for patients.

4. Serve as a member of the patient’s recovery support team.

5. Assure that Patients’ Rights are maintained

6. Demonstrate healthy behaviors expected of a person in recovery.

7. Establish and maintain an effective peer mentoring relationship with the patient.

8. Promote social learning through shared experiences.

9. Encourage patients to develop independent behavior that is based on choice rather than compliance.

10. Teach patients life skills, including personal care and social responsibility habits

11. Assist patients to establish/reestablish and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships with persons such as family members, significant others, friends, and community members.

12. Establish and maintain a recovery plan with the patient to provide on-going support

13. Assist the patient in identifying informal support systems to access and build on in order to meet the patients’ needs and wants.

14. Help the patient identify their options and participate in all decisions related to establishing and achieving recovery goals.

15. Help the patient develop problem-solving skills so they can respond to challenges to their recovery.

16. Recognize crisis situations and respond appropriately.

17. Recognize risks to the patients’ recovery and/or personal safety and respond appropriately.

18. Apply strategies designed to enhance the patient’s motivation to change.

19. Reinforce reasons why recovery is a viable and achievable path.

20. Help the patient develop an understanding of the holistic approach to wellness/recovery, which includes physical, mental, spiritual, and social wellness.

21. Help the patients’ access information and resources necessary to make informed decisions to positively affect the patients’ overall wellness and recovery.

22. Assist and motivate patients to navigate the array of services available to achieve and maintain recovery.

23. Engage and assist patients to move through the stages of recovery and develop recovery capital.

24. Maintain patients’ confidentiality according to state and federal laws.

25. Perform all job tasks according to paraprofessional, legal, and ethical standards.

26. Maintain documentation as required by agency, state, and federal laws.

27. Recognize individual differences of patients by gaining knowledge about personality, culture, lifestyles, gender, sexual orientation, special needs, and other factors influencing patients’ behavior in order to provide peer support specialist services that are sensitive to the uniqueness of the individual serviced.

28. Respond appropriately to personal stressors, triggers, and indicators that impact your ability to perform job duties.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

1. Must pass required background investigation.

2. Must complete all required training include16 hours of job related training annually other training assigned.

3. Must abide by Agency's Code of Ethics, Agency Standards, Policy and Procedures Manuals.

4. Must make sound decisions independently. This includes, but is not limited to, recognizing safety risks, abuse, neglect, or other emergencies and responding appropriately.

5. Complete documentation on a daily basis, legibly, and with no more than a 3% error rating.

6. Strict adherence to the Incident (Unusual Event) Reporting, timekeeping, and work attendance requirements.

7. Must practice universal precautions as part of regular job duties whenever applicable.

8. Must be able to perform assigned work independently with minimal supervision.

9. Must not engage in behaviors that erode the cohesiveness of the program staff.

10. Must be approved as an insurable, safe driver by Gateway insurance company.

11. Must maintain minimum amount of 60% direct services as demonstrated through productivity reports.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

· High School Diploma, GED or higher.

· Has experience in formal work and /or volunteer experience related to mental health/substance abuse

· Certification: Certified Recovery Support Specialist or Certified Recovery Peer Specialist through the Florida Certification Board

· Strong knowledge of local and international mutual-aid support

· Trainings: SOAR, WRAP® preferred

· The ability to pass a DCF Level II Background Screening

SKILLS

· Leadership skills to facilitate groups that are evidence-based, person and family centered, topic-focused and also open forums.

· Good verbal and written communication skills.

· Understands essentials of good time management.

· Ability to interact well with local community, referral sources and clients.

· Safe driving record as verified by the Agency's insurance company.

· Ability to successfully complete agency driving test.

KNOWLEDGE

· Understanding of the SAMHSA’s Working Definition of Recovery, Principles of Recovery and the Eight Dimensions of Wellness.

· Have knowledge and understanding for cultural competencies to establish and maintain strong working relationships with culturally diverse patients, their families and caregivers as well as a wide range of community agencies and organizations.

CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE

· Valid State of Florida driver's license with a safe driving record to meet standards for the organization’s insurance requirements. Be able and willing to drive a company vehicle to facilitate patient transportation

· Recovery Support Specialist Certification or Recovery Peer Specialist Certification. (If a certification is not achieved prior to being hired, you will have 1 year to complete and submit to HR)

Gateway Community Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Gateway Community Services does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $15.00 - $16.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $15 - $16