Peer Specialist I

• OnTrack NY is an innovative treatment program that serves adolescents and young adults with psychosis. The Peer Specialist will work as part of the OnTrack NY team with program participants, family and community members, and all other team members. The Peer Specialist serves a unique role on the team, instilling hope in participants and families by drawing on their own lived experience of overcoming challenges with a psychiatric label. Walking alongside participants on their recovery journeys, the Peer Specialist uses a non-clinical approach to support, empower, and advocate for young people as they contend with the difficulties and uncertainties of early psychosis.
• The Peer Specialist uses their lived experience and unique perspective to contribute to treatment planning for each participant, remaining youth-driven and facilitating the team’s development and maintenance of a culture of respect and shared decision making. The Peer Specialist can provide an essential framework for highlighting the potential that each participant has for achieving a successful recovery trajectory.
• In addition to attending team meetings, Peer Specialists work directly with other team members to provide support and assistance to program participants. Under the supervision of the OnTrackNY Team Leader, they provide direct peer support services to program participants in any setting that would be helpful – at the OnTrackNY program site, in the community, or in the hospital.

Within the OnTrack NY team, the Peer Specialist’s work is guided by 12 role responsibilities in their interactions with participants, families, community members, and their team:

• Outreach & Engagement: Connecting with the community, participants, and families about OnTrack NY and offering hope and support for recovery.
• Relationship Building: Forming meaningful partnerships with program participants.
• Embracing Creative Narratives: Expanding the understanding of the experience of “First Episode Psychosis”
• Co-Creating Tools for Success: Partnering with participants and families to support developing and creating self-care and self-awareness tools.
• Supporting and Partnering with Families: Working closely with a participant’s family of choice.
• Making OnTrack NY Better: Supporting OnTrack NY’s growth and development by creating and supporting a feedback loop between participants and the team.
• Bridge Building: Connecting participants and their families to needed community-based supports.
• Group Facilitation: Creating spaces and opportunities for participants to learn together and support one another.
• Community Mapping: Learning about and connecting to community-based supports and resources.
• Influencing Team Culture: Utilizing lived experience and non-clinical approach to support team members’ understanding.
• Team Communication & Collaboration: Working as an essential multi-disciplinary team member, documenting their interactions collaboratively and communicating back to the team.
• Ongoing Professional Development: Developing and honing skills to support this work.

• NYS certification as a Peer Specialist or an ability to obtain certification within one year of hire.
• It is preferable that the individual’s lived experience of mental health challenges include experience with psychosis during his or her youth.
• If not a young adult, the Peer Specialist should understand youth culture and respect for people’s selfdetermination.
• Preferably, a local community member, and if not, someone aware of and understands the area’s culture.
• The Peer Specialist should be someone who has engaged in the meaning-making process for themselves.
• Demonstrated interpersonal communication skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to, and effectively work with participants in mental health services.
• Active participation in mental health self-help activities, peer support, peer advocacy programs, participant-run organizations, or similar experiences.
• Ability/ willingness to disclose their experiences of mental health services for empowerment.
• Willingness to work outside of the office setting, in the community, and in the homes of participants.
• Excellent judgment and ability to understand boundaries when working with participants of mental health services.

CASES cares about employee wellbeing, and we offer a comprehensive benefits package to support you and your family, including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Vacation and Paid Time Off – starting at 25 days-off annually, plus an additional summer self-care day
• 12 Paid Holidays per year
• Retirement 403b Competitive matching up to 6%
• Employee Referral Program
• Visit www.cases.org/careers/ to learn more about benefits offered by the CASES