Peer Support Specialist/Counselor

The Role: School-based health care coordination is the deliberate organization of comprehensive health care activities, including those that address social determinants of health, to advance equitable health outcomes. It entails sharing information and maintaining communication among all those concerned with a student’s health needs and care. This includes students; parents/guardians; school-based staff, including nurses, social workers, school counselors, school psychologists, and educators; primary, mental, vision, and oral health care providers; and other community-based health care professionals. Care coordination involves community collaboration and can strengthen the connection between schools and the broader community, creating a network of support for students and families. This network helps young people access comprehensive health services and addresses social factors such as housing, food security, and transportation. It can improve health equity, particularly for students who experience barriers to access because of structural inequities or where they live. The Seattle Mayor’s Office allocated funding to increase access to mental health supports in Seattle schools. One of the ways Public Health—Seattle and King County (PHSKC) is addressing this need (in addition to increasing the number of mental health providers in middle and high schools) is to establish a new school-based behavioral health care coordinator role in up to 21 schools to support increased access to behavioral health services. Essential Functions: Serve as key liaison among students, families, school support staff, school-based health center providers, and community-based health and mental health professionals. Community-based partnerships:  Develop or strengthen partnerships with local agencies for specialty mental health support, and track information on partnerships (e.g., services offered, availability of services, cost, etc.). Keep updated on what culturally responsive services are available in the community to assist clients with a wide range of health-related social needs. Work with students/families to determine their care needs. School: Link to internal school supports for social, academic, and behavioral functioning. Establish and maintain relationships with other service providers/agencies in the school (this will include interactions with multiple student support professionals). Coordinates activities with student assistance team (e.g., SIT teams, MTSS) for the purpose of identifying high risk students and referring them to school and community-based services. Participates in school building staff meetings providing information on access and referral process. Support collaboration and sharing information between the school (e.g., administration and school staff) and the school-based health center (SBHC). SBHC: Communicate important updates to team members within the school and within the community, including progress toward goals and changes in needs. Actively participate in case conferences and/or interdisciplinary team case reviews. Collaborate on client/family progress. Co-learn with clinic team members. Educate clinic team about community health needs. Coordinate student care among a variety of school and community services, connect with community resources or more intensive specialty care. Provides additional support and follow up surrounding external referrals, and coordination with outside providers. Utilize interpersonal/relational skills and knowledge of human behavior to assess and influence client’s responsiveness to accessing the resources and services recommended. Facilitate and monitor follow up with community-based referrals and resources. Utilize evidence-based strategies (e.g., motivational strategies, progress monitoring, problem solving, etc.) to maximize the effectiveness of clinical services. Collaborate with “Care Team” to: Ensure the services provided avoid duplicating other services and complement each other. Maintain consistent documentation of services provided. Collect data to inform reporting requirements and assess outcomes. Support client/family education and engagement Provide education directly to youth regarding treatment expectations including information about their specific health and/or behavioral health needs. Provide family meetings as needed to enhance engagement and to coordinate care. Assist families with navigating the health and education systems, including how to best communicate amongst relevant parties. Provide additional supports for family engagement. Provide advocacy for students and families. Provide effective data-driven feedback for students and parents. Meet with families individually to provide information and coaching on common health issues and how they can support the wellness of their children. Work with families (individually or in groups) to gather information (surveys, focus groups, etc.) to help inform clinic services. Provide culturally relevant care coordination:  Articulate and apply historical context of racism and understand the current reality of students and communities of color to support racial equity.  Actively demonstrate a commitment to supporting equity and inclusion, and serve as an advocate with colleagues, partners, students, families, and communities.  Participate in professional development to support culturally relevant, strengths-based, trauma-informed services. Qualifications:  Knowledge and experience (i.e., lived or professional) working with youth in education or behavioral health settings, and/or experience navigating complex systems of care, inside and outside of ‘health care.’  Awareness of local resources, navigating local resources to address stressors, or social determinants of health.  Outstanding organizational skills and ability to manage a caseload of multiple families.  Interest and ability to successfully work in diverse communities, including self-awareness, understanding of systems of oppression, and willingness to contribute to undoing institutionalized racism.  Interest and ability to connect with diverse families and support them in overcoming systemic barriers.  Comfort with interacting with children and youth, and commitment to creating a child-friendly environment. The Perks:  We offer a full benefits package with options for medical, dental, prescription and vision coverage; employer-paid short and long-term disability, as well as life insurance.  Vacation includes up to 2 weeks in the first year.  Up to 2 weeks of Sick leave for you or to take care of your immediate family (based on hours worked). 12 Paid Holidays plus 2 Floating Holidays each year.  A 403(b) Retirement plan, with employer matching after meeting eligibility requirements.  Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is designed to help and support you. Staff potentially eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness program as a 501(c) 3 employer.

Salary : $22 - $32