Youth Peer Support Specialist- SMI No Holidays or Weekends! bei New Vista

If you are mission driven and want to help the lives of people in your community, we have a place for you on our Team!

The Youth Peer Support Specialist position is an individual who has been in receipt of services for mental health or substance use difficulties during their youth and is willing to share and use their experiences, knowledge, and first-hand insight to the benefit of the clients served. The Youth Peer Support Specialist functions as a fully integrated team member to provide expertise about the recovery process, symptom management, and the persistence required by clients to achieve a desired social or personal change. The Youth Peer Support Specialist collaborates to promote a team culture that recognizes, understands, and respects each client’s point of view, experiences, and preferences. The Specialist is responsible for maximizing client choice, self-determination and decision making in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of treatment. The Youth Peer Support Specialist serves as a role model; and promotes socialization, recovery, self-advocacy, and enhancement of community living skills for clients. The Youth Peer Support Specialist is a positive team player that promotes a culture of inclusion and participation.

Required Education and Experience

1. High School Graduate or equivalent
2. Be an individual who is at least eighteen (18) years of age and is not older than thirty-five (35) years of age
3. Have lived experience and ability to demonstrate one year of recovery involvement
4. Currently certified in good standing as a Kentucky Youth Peer Support Specialist and Adult Peer Support Specialist or must complete a certification program approved by the state within three months of hire 
5. Must have a history of mental health and /or substance use diagnosis and treatment during their youth from at least one (1) child-serving agency
6. Valid driver’s license, reliable operating transportation, proof of current auto insurance

Preferred Education and Experience

1. One-year experience providing peer support services
2. Experience with psychosis or comfort working with youth/young adults experiencing at-risk symptoms or first episode of psychosis

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

       Peer Support 

1. Serve as an active member of the treatment team
2. Advocate for services requested by the individual
3. Assist in cultivating the individual’s ability to make informed, independent choices, to set goals/objectives and assist in gaining information and support from the community
4. Plan activities with the individual that lead to improved self-concepts through empowerment and self-determination opportunities
5. Act as a teacher and role model of behavioral health recovery and assist with the development of effective communication with other providers
6. Assist individuals in the development of Wellness Recovery Action Plans and/or Advance Directives for Mental Health Treatment to avoid hospitalization
7. Support individuals in maintaining stable housing and employment, if desired
8. Provide support and encouragement to individuals
9. Offer hope of recovery from mental illness and/or substance use disorders by sharing personal recovery story and by teaching individuals how to tell their own recovery stories effectively. Use unique recovery experience to model the value of every individual’s recovery experience and teach effective coping techniques and self-help strategies
10. With assistance from supervisor, document in the Person-Centered Recovery Plan the strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences of the individual; interventions to assist peers in reaching their recovery goals; progress toward recovery goals
11. Travel to community partner sites to meet with individuals who are referred into various programs with the intent to obtain early engagement

Collaboration and Communication 

1. Participate as an active member of the individual’s recovery team, including participation in team meetings and treatment planning opportunities to assist clients with the identification and attainment of their recovery goals
2. Act as a liaison between the individual and members of the recovery team
3. Inform the treatment team of any issues/concerns related to the individual clients
4. Increase awareness of, and support client participation in, consumer self-help programs such as Participation Station and consumer advocacy organizations that promote recovery

While we welcome all to apply, there are some position specific background stipulations that must be met to comply with various regulatory and contractual requirements.

New Vista prohibits discrimination and harassment against any applicant, employee or contractor based on sex, race, color, age, national or ethnic origin, religion, physical disability, mental disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, protected veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state or local law.  This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, working conditions, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, wage and salary administration, employee benefits and training. It is also the company’s policy to prohibit all forms of retaliation against any individual who has complained of harassing or discriminatory conduct, encouraged another to complain, participated in an investigation into such complaints, or opposed unlawful discrimination.