Peer Recovery Specialist (firsthand Guide)

As a firsthand Guide, you will:

• • Perform community outreach to individuals with serious mental illness, including visiting their homes and other locations within the local community where they spend time, such as clubhouses, drop-in centers, homeless shelters, hospitals, and emergency departments
  • Build trust and develop relationships with individuals living with SMI, by first identifying and addressing immediate needs
  • Empower individuals to identify and pursue their personal recovery goals
  • Model and teach safe and healthy coping strategies
  • Serve as primary point-of-contact for individuals, facilitating ongoing engagement
  • Apply advanced engagement techniques; on-the-job training will be provided as needed
  • Partner with individuals to facilitate engagement in supportive services to help meet self-directed wellness goals
  • Identify social determinants of health that may be able to be addressed by firsthand
  • Facilitate warm hand-offs to other team members for assistance in navigating benefits and resources
  • Assist with gathering information required for obtaining benefits and services
  • Address transportation barriers by assisting in accessing transportation benefits, navigating public transportation, and providing transportation as needed
  • Engage in care coordination to assist individuals in accessing appropriate mental and physical health services, and advocate for the individual’s personal goals with providers
  • Provide support via activities such as accompanying the individual to appointments
  • Address immediate follow-up needs identified by care team providers such as hospital post-discharge follow-up and support

You will be a good fit if you have:

• • • Empathy, compassion, and approachability
    • Excellent listening, communication, and interpersonal skills
    • Personal knowledge of recovery
    • Patience and persistence
    • Desire to help people in need and support their path to wellness
    • Comfort working as part of a multidisciplinary team
    • Basic computer skills

The required experience you bring to this role includes:

• • Lived experience with SMI and/or SUD
  • Qualified as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist OR eligible and willing to get certified within 6 months of employment
  • Ability to operate a vehicle (company vehicle may be provided), including a driver’s license that is active and in good standing; must be eligible to drive under Company insurance policy

The preferred experience you bring to this role includes:

• • Prior experience performing direct in-person outreach and engaging individuals with SMI
  • Expertise in recovery education and coaching
  • Knowledge of a whole health approach to peer support
  • Knowledge of a trauma-informed approach to peer support
  • Knowledge of local community resources, behavioral health system, and criminal justice system, including mental health and drug courts
  • Desire to learn more about a broad range of health conditions

$18 – $18 an hour

This is a full-time, non-exempt, hourly position reporting to firsthand’s Director, Community Operations. firsthand cares deeply about ensuring pay equity with every team member who joins. Commensurate on candidate experience, the expected hourly rate for this role is $18/hr.