ACT Peer Specialist

Job Description

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

JOB SUMMARY:

This member of the ACT multidisciplinary team has experience as a recipient of mental health services for severe and persistent mental illness and is willing to use and share his or her personal, practical experience, knowledge, and first-hand insight to benefit the team and its individuals. The peer specialist functions as a fully integrated team member to provide expertise about the recovery process, symptom management, and the persistence required by clients to have a satisfying life. Collaborates to promote a team culture that recognizes, understands, and respects each client's point of view, experiences, and preferences. Responsible to maximize client choice, self-determination, and decision-making in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of clients, families, and team staff; acts as a liaison with community resources; carries out rehabilitation and support functions; and assists in treatment, substance abuse services, education, support and consultation to families, and crisis intervention under the clinical supervision of staff with professional degrees.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to validate individuals' experiences and to provide coaching and consultation to individuals to promote recovery and self-direction.
• Serve as a mentor to individuals to promote hope and empowerment.
• Facilitate wellness management and recovery strategies and provide cross training of such strategies to other team members.
• Provide expertise and consultation from a mental health consumer perspective to the entire team concerning individuals' experiences on symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side-effects of medications, individuals' responses to and opinions of treatment, and individuals' experiences to recovery.
• Model skills and provide consultation for the team to promote a team culture in order to ensure that individuals' points of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, and that the individual's self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning are maximized and supported.
• Help individuals identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with SMI and to develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
• Help other team members identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with SMI and to develop strategies to eliminate stigma within the team.
• Collaborate with the team to ensure protection of individual' rights; help individuals improve their knowledge of client rights; and how to access grievance or compliance procedures.

OTHER DUTIES:

• Share duties in the provision of treatment and substance use services.
• Assist in the provision of ongoing assessment of individuals’ mental illness symptoms and response to treatment. Suggest appropriate changes in treatment plans to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to changes in individuals’ mental status or behavior which put individuals at risk (e.g., suicidality)
• Assist in the provision of direct clinical services to individuals on an individual, group, and family basis to provide education on symptom-management techniques and to promote personal growth and development.
• Share duties in provision of vocational rehabilitation efforts and obtaining/maintaining safe, affordable housing
• Provide ongoing assessment, problem solving, side-by-side services, skill teaching, support, and environmental adaptations to assist individuals with activities of daily living.
• Assist and support individuals to have and effectively use a primary care physician, dentist, and other medical specialists as required.
• Share in provision of education needed to develop skills in areas of personal care, safety skills, money management, clothing maintenance, household maintenance, social skills, use of transportation, and accessing community resources.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Sustained coping ability of MH and/or SA symptoms for at least one year.
• Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with individuals who have SMI.

Job Requirements

College degree preferred, or have a high school diploma, or have at least two (2) years of paid or volunteer work experience with SMI.

Certification in Peer Recovery Services preferred or must become certified within the first year of employment.

Valid driver’s license with a safe driving record.