Peer Specialist

Position Type: Full Time, Non-Exempt

Essential Functions:

• Provide peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to validate clients’ experiences and to provide guidance and encouragement to clients to take responsibility and actively participate in their own recovery.
• Provides peer counseling and consultation to 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. When the consumer specialist has appropriate professional credentials, he or she may perform professional duties and clinical supervision.
• Serve as a mentor to clients to promote hope and empowerment.
• Act as in interpreter to help non-mental health consumer team members better understand and empathize with each client’s unique and subjective experience and perceptions.
• Provide expertise and consultation from mental health consumer perspective to the entire tam concerning clients’ experiences on symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side-effects of medications, client’s responses to and opinions of treatment, and clients’ experiences of recovery.
• Collaborate with the team to promote a team culture in which each client’s point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, and in which client self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning are maximized and supported.
• Help clients identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental health and develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
• Help other team members identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness and develop strategies to eliminate stigma within the team.
• Collaborate with the team to ensure the protection of clients’ rights in order to help clients to improve their knowledge of client rights and grievance or complaint procedures.
• Collaborate with the team to help clients learn about pertinent grievance procedures and support clients with filing, mediating, and resolving complaints.
• Increase awareness of and support client participation in consumer self-help programs and consumer advocacy organizations that promote recovery.
• Serve as liaison between the team and consumer-run programs such as self-help groups and drop-in centers.
• Shared duties in the provision of treatment and substance abuse services.
• Responsible to maximize client choice, self-determination and decision-making in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of treatment, rehabilitation and support services.
• Perform mentoring, problem solving. Encouragement and support on and off the job site.
• Provide work-related supportive services, such as assistance securing necessary clothing and grooming supplies, wake-up calls, transportation.
• Provide ongoing assessment, problem solving, side-by-side services, skill teaching, support (prompts, assignments, encouragement), and environmental adaptations to assist clients with activities of daily living.
• Assist and support clients to organize and perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.
• Assist and support clients with personal hygiene and grooming tasks.
• Provide nutrition education and assistance with meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.
• Help clients to access reliable transportation (obtain a driver’s license and car and car insurance, arrange for cabs, use public transportation, find rides).
• Assist and support clients to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician, dentist, and other medical specialists as required.
• Provide side-by-side support, coaching and encouragement to help clients socialize (going with a friend to community activities, including activities offered by consumer-run peer support organizations).
• Assist clients to plan and carry out leisure time activities on evenings, weekends, and holiday.
• Provide practical help and supports, mentoring, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving, direct assistance, and supervision to help clients obtain the necessities of daily living including medical and dental health care; legal and advocacy services.

Competencies:

• Communication Proficiency
• Accountability for Others
• Balanced Decision Making
• Leading Others
• Flexibility
• Initiative
• Analysis of Data
• Problem Management

Supervisory Responsibility: No

Required Education and Experience: May have education and experience in the field of human services (e.g., associate or bachelor’s degree in human services or a HS diploma. Must have experience in working with adults with SMI or have life experience dealing with behavioral health. Must have people and problem-solving skills to assist and support clients with severe and persistent mental illnesses and their families. In addition, the position requires solid organizational skill and ability to make contacts and establish relationships to get information necessary for the program to function within the larger system. Knowledge of computers and software; simplified bidding, contracting, billing, and accounting procedures; medical records management, and personnel policies and procedures are required. Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe and persistent mental illness to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services. Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses and respect for client rights and personal preferences in treatment are essential. The individual must possess a Louisiana driver’s license and have access to an insured automobile.

Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana, Inc. offers a comprehensive benefit package to include: Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, 403-B Pension Plan, Short and Long Term Disability Insurances, Life Insurance, paid annual holidays, Vacation and Sick leave.

Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana, Inc. considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any legally protected status. We will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship.