Certified Peer Specialist I

Description

Purpose:  The Certified Peer Specialist I will align his/her scope of work with Jawonio’s Mission, while incorporating Jawonio’s Core Values as the guiding principle for all work activities.

Summary:  Delivers peer support, psychosocial rehabilitation, and family support/training services to members of the Community-Oriented Recovery Services (CORE) program.  Ensures members receive person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent services within a rehabilitation and recovery focus in their homes or their community.  Facilitates the utilization of natural resources and the enhancement of recovery-oriented principles with the intention to assist individuals with initiating recovery, maintaining health and wellness, and enhancing the quality of personal and family life for long-term recovery.  Provides assistance and support for Saturday programming in the Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.  Other duties may be assigned.

• Oversee and manage a caseload of members that are enrolled in the CORE services program, seeing them on a 1:1 basis as needed, wanted, and defined by an individualized service plan.
• Help individuals work on goals such as community connectedness, development of natural resources, physical and mental health wellness, education, employment, self-help, and independent living skills.
• Provide services in a person-centered, goal-oriented, trauma-informed, and culturally competent approach which includes advocacy, outreach and engagement, self-help tools, recovery supports, transitional supports, pre-crisis and crisis supports.
• Assist in selecting and utilizing self-directed and evidence-based recovery tools, including but not limited to Wellness and Recovery Plans (WRAP) OR Relapse Prevention Planning, with members to develop skills for long-term recovery.
• Provide health coaching and recovery support, especially on issues of self-advocacy, wellness self-management, medication adherence, smoking cessation, entitlements, and daily living activities.
• Assist with and coordinate transportation to appointments, including provision of travel training as needed.
• Accompany members to behavioral health, medical and/or other appointments to support and facilitate engagement and follow-through as needed.
• Act as a linkage to community services including medical, behavioral, residential, entitlement and any other needed services.
• Coordinate and communicate care planning with other providers of services.
• Communicates and works with members, their families, and professional staff (both internal and external) to help ensure member growth and recovery.
• Assists in planning and facilitation of groups, social/recreational activities and outings for participants during PROS Danny’s Promise programming on Saturdays.

• Completes all mandated documentation requirements by Jawonio and regulating agencies within prescribed deadlines including but not limited to the following:
  • Individualized service plans
  • individual progress notes

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• • discharge summaries

• Complete required trainings and pass post-training tests in the areas of psychosocial rehabilitation, trauma-informed care, person-centered planning, shared decision making, motivational interviewing and wellness self-management.
• Helps ensure appropriate safeguards for participants are developed and maintained.
• Serve as a role model for peers, with positive behaviors, ethical practice and demonstrating compassion for those who attend/participate in program services.
• Embraces team approach, attending and participating in staff meetings and mentoring new peer staff. 

• Attends all required interdisciplinary and team conferences and special meetings both in and outside of the agency to determine appropriate programs and recovery plans for participants.
• Provides individual and group coverage for program members as needed when other CORE staff are unavailable.
• Maintains safe and orderly work environment and work area.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience:

High School diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.  Must have active NYS Peer Certification (NYCPS) or NYS Peer Certification-Provisional (NYCPS-P) credential.  Lived experience required:  personal experience living with a disability, history of mental health challenge and/or substance abuse and willingness to draw upon this experience to serve as a role model to support the recovery goals of individuals served.

Language Ability:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write comprehensive reports and documentation. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Math Ability:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of MS Word, Excel and internet software.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outdoor weather conditions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include Close vision, Distance vision, Peripheral vision, Depth perception and Ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and sit. The employee is occasionally required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear.

Additional Requirements:

• Daily access to an automobile is required. A valid NY State Driver’s License and ability to drive and driving record acceptable for agency insurance coverage are required.
• Remain current in all OMH and agency required trainings
• Knowledge of Medicaid, Social Security, and other entitlement systems required.
• Candidates must be cleared and maintain acceptable record under the NYS Justice Center and NYS OMH mandated criminal background check process.
• Must be clear and maintain an acceptable record under the Medicaid Fraud & Abuse clearance process.
• Regular work schedule:  Up to 15 hours per week to be scheduled from Mondays to Fridays between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm plus an additional 5 hours per week on Saturdays between 9:00am and 2:00pm

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Salary : $23