Peer Specialist-TB531501 en Institute for Community Living

JOB SUMMARY:

The Peer Specialist will have experience as a recipient of mental health services with a willingness to share personal, practical experience, knowledge, and first-hand insight to benefit program enrollees. Experience with substance use services or the criminal justice system is also required. Peer Specialist will be responsible for building of relationships with program consumers and their networks of support in order to support the person’s recovery. The Peer Specialist will also assist consumers with navigating the service systems, including behavioral and medical health, criminal justice, shelter system, entitlements and transportation. Additionally, s/he will practice according to the principles of recovery oriented and trauma informed service delivery. All Peer Specialist staff will become certified, with either a provisional or a professional certification within a year of hire.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: List all essential job duties. (To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty listed satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with a disability to perform the essential duties unless this causes undue hardship to the agency.)

1. Travels to/visits recipient in the community to provide supportive services on a schedule established by the program. Counsels recipients regarding plans for meeting service needs and aids the recipients to mobilize inner capabilities and environmental resources to attain goals.
2. Educates recipients about self-help techniques and self-help group processes
3. Teaches recipients effective coping strategies based on personal experience
4. Teaches symptom management skills
5. Assists in clarifying rehabilitation and recovery goals.
6. Assists in maintaining up-to-date, accurate individual case records on each assigned recipient.
7. Assists in obtaining and developing resource information for recipients in all aspects of their care; disseminates this information to recipients in a manner that is clear and understandable.
8. Engages the recipient to assist them in meeting service plan goals.
9. Helps facilitate individualized services to the recipient that meet the diverse needs of the recipient and focus on the discharge-planning goal.
10. Explains the types of clinical services and programs available to recipients; helps instruct the recipient in daily living skills, socialization skill enhancement and conflict resolution.
11. Performs crisis assessment and nonverbal and verbal crisis intervention.
12. Assists in referring recipients to community resources and other organizations. Accompanies recipients on regularly scheduled or emergency visits to medical treatment facilities, social agencies, government offices, or other locations associated with the treatment or assistance of the recipient.
13. Advocates on behalf of recipient with other service providers.
14. Assists resident/recipient in finding and getting into vocational training or other training opportunities, and works with other team members in addressing the needs of recipients
15. Immediately reports serious incidents, serious incident allegations, incidents, or sensitive situations to supervisors. Completes incident reports in accordance with ICL policy. Accounts for recipients and files missing person reports on recipients not accounted for in accordance with ICL policy and procedure.
16. Complies with attendance and timekeeping rules and reports reliably and regularly to work on an on-going basis.
17. Attends regularly scheduled clinical meetings, staff meetings and supervision as well as in-service training and development activities.
18. Complies with agency infection control policies.
19. Provides services with a Trauma informed recovery oriented, integrated, and person-centered manner.
20. Other job-related duties that may be assigned.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
• Ability to work with recipients/residents, families, and staff in a caring and respectful manner, and with due understanding of and consideration for cultural differences.
• Ability to serve as a role model to residents/recipients.
• Ability to complete written forms and reports in an accurate and timely manner.
• Ability to communicate effectively with staff, recipients/residents, families, and the public.
• Ability to prepare accurate and timely documentation, reports and other written material as assigned.
• Ability to secure the cooperation of and work effectively with others
• Ability to work independently, and to conform to all applicable safety and accountability measures
• Knowledge of how disabilities can adversely affect functioning and ways to cope with or overcome such effects
• Ability to read and write at least at a 12th grade level and to follow written and oral instructions
• Ability to accompany or transport residents (some assignments may require possession of a valid driver's license).
• Ability to be empathetic and supportive to residents instructing, demonstrating, modeling, and encouraging appropriate behavior and skills
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with a variety of people at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to integrate elements of trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, integrated care, and person-centered (TRIP) philosophies in all aspects of the work.
• Ability to use modern office equipment (e.g. computer, fax, copy machine, scanner, etc.).
• Ability to type, use electronic health record systems, and Microsoft products including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Past or current recipient of mental health services, recipient of substance services and/or was previously involved with the criminal justice system. All Peer Specialist staff will become certified, with either a provisional or a professional certification within a year of hire.