Peer Support Specialist

Description

Job Summary:

Under the direction of the Wellness Center Manager, the Peer Support Specialist (PPS) is an active member of the Wellness Center and provides peer support services to clients with mental health, substance use disorder, or other psychosocial challenges.  They function as a mentor, educator, and role model to peers; exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills. The PSS performs a wide range of tasks to assist DAP Health clients of all ages, from young adult to senior, in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own life skills.

Job Status: Full time, Hourly, Non-exempt

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Engages and supports clients in the process of positive change, be it regarding mental health, substance use disorder, or other psychosocial issues.
• Meets each client "where they are at" in terms of their readiness to make life changes.
• Utilizes Motivation Interviewing and enhancement techniques to promote clients' readiness to make positive changes in their lives.
• Uses ongoing individual and group sessions to teach clients how to identify and combat negative self-talk and how to identify and overcome fears by providing a forum allowing group members and PSS to share their experiences.
• Assists clients in articulating personal goals for any positive changes using one-to-one and group sessions supporting clients in identifying and creating goals and developing plans with the skills, strengths, supports and resources to aid them in achieving those goals.
• Willing to become trained and certified as a facilitator for groups such as SMART Recovery, Seeking Safety, Freedom From Smoking or any other evidenced based programs which meet community and client demands.
• Assists clients in setting up and sustaining self-help (mutual support) groups, as well as means of locating and joining existing groups.
• Utilizes tools such as the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to assist clients in creating their own individual wellness; to set specific goals.
• Utilizes and teaches problem-solving techniques to clients individually or in a group setting, independently or with assistance of other treatment team members like therapists, substance use professionals, psychiatrists, case managers, career development specialist, clinicians, among others.
• Using their own experiences with mental health and/or substance use disorder services, as well as learn best practices through the Peer Support Specialist training allow appropriate discussions where clients can share common problems in daily living and methods they have employed to manage and cope with these problems. As much as possible and when appropriate, the PSS shares their own recovery story and as the facilitator of these sessions, demonstrates how they have directed their own recovery.
• Works with each client to identify "high risk" situations and triggers that may threaten their recovery and forward progress, and teach/model effective coping techniques and self-help strategies that can avert or mitigate relapse.
• Assists clients in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma through self-advocacy via regular meetings, individual or group sessions.
• Provides opportunities for others to show/demonstrate how they have handled similar problems, how to present themselves in certain situations, or how to handle problems that may arise in interactions with others using role playing/modeling techniques.
• Works with the clients and other treatment team staff as deem necessary to develop an individual care plan or recovery plan based on the goals identified by the client. The PSS will review individual care and recovery plans with Wellness Manager as well as fully document these in the client’s file.
• Identifies person-centered strengths, needs, abilities, and goals.
• Interventions to assist the client with reaching their goals for recovery.
• Any other interaction with the client, family members or professionals involved in his/her care must be documented accordingly.
• Maintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in the mental health field by reading books, journals, and other relevant materials. The PSS will continue to share recovery materials with others at continuing education seminars and other venues to be developed to support recovery-oriented services; and attend continuing education seminars, webinars and other in-service training when offered.
• Walks the client through the process of entering in-patient treatment by way of collaborating with the Riverside County CARES team. Assists by guiding clients through the initial intake call; guiding them through obtaining their psychiatric and medical clearance via their clinician or through the 24/7 Mental Health Urgent Care; and assisting by obtaining transportation to an in-patient treatment center if necessary.
• Maintains community outreach contacts with local substance use treatment facilities and will collaborate with service providers in providing intake services for clients.
• Assists in locating sober living facilities for clients when needed.
• Assists in referring for appropriate aftercare services for clients when needed.
• Coordinates and schedules ongoing recovery speaker meetings.
• Provides ongoing virtual psychosocial support groups in addition to in-person groups.
• Acts as the liaison between the 12-Step community and the Wellness Center, including scheduling onsite meetings and communicating any facility closures that will affect meeting schedule.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Experience and skills sufficient to use community resources necessary for independent living and to teach those skills to those consumers with a mental illness preferred.

Education and Experience:

• Knowledge of local community behavioral health services, community agencies, community resources and support groups.
• Peer Support Specialist Certificate preferred, must obtain within 90 days of hire
• Current American Heart Association or American Red Cross accredited BLS certification.

Salary : $21 - $22