Childrens Youth Peer Specialist

Job Description

Job Classification: Youth Peer Specialist - Jefferson County

Children’s Services is currently seeking applicants who are interested in sharing their lived experience during childhood or adolescence with serious emotional disturbance or mental illness with youth that are working in treatment. Peers will assist in addressing the critical domains of functioning for youth, to include working, learning, living, belonging and healing through a strengths-based team process that facilitates progress and strengthens resiliency.

Minimum Qualifications

Must have lived experience with a mental illness or a serious emotional disturbance as a child or adolescent.

High School Diploma or GED.

Must obtain Certified Peer Specialist certification from DMH.

Have reliable transportation, maintain car insurance, and acceptable driving record.

Normal Work Hours/Days: 10-20 hours/week. Varied schedule.

Primary Job Functions

• Participate in one-on-one meetings with supervisor to discuss ideas, difficulties, suggestions, and expectation weekly
• Participate as an equal and active member of the multi-disciplinary team
• Attend treatment team meetings with the youth to promote the individual’s use of self-directed advocacy goals.
• Promote self-determination, recovery, resilience, self-advocacy, and self-direction. Assist the youth in identifying strengths, wellness goals, setting objective, goal planning and identifying barriers.
• Facilitate small groups. Groups to be made of 3-5 individuals and focus on topics related to recovery: Coping Techniques, Health Teaching, Spirituality, and Social Interaction.
• Plan and research for small groups and interest activities.
• Facilitate interest activities. Activities should be centered on the interest of the group of individuals. Activities should be voluntary and can be used as a reward.
• Participate in one-one-one relationship building with youth. Activities to be done in the community.
• Provide intensive support through a personalized balance of social, recreational, skill teaching and linkage development services for individual relationships with youth.
• Facilitate understanding between youth and clinician.
• Give alternate, experienced based points of view.
• Provide accurate documentation as stipulated by program demands in an electronic medical record
• Other tasks assigned by supervisor.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Must have experience with serious emotional disturbance and/or mental illness that closely resemble the experience of the youth.
• Must be dependable.
• Must be teachable and honest.
• Must be able to connect to youth in a community and/or residential settings on a one-on-one basis.
• Must be a good role model and be in active recovery for their own mental illness.
• Must be willing to become certified through the Department of Mental Health as a Certified Peer Specialist and a Youth Certified Peer Specialist upon hire.
• Should have a personal vehicle readily available to you.
• Should be energetic and passionate.
• Should be open to job requirements and have the ability to facilitate groups and activities.
• Should be available to work afternoon/early evening hours or weekend hours due to the school schedules of youth