Peer Specialist

Position Overview

The Peer Specialist will provide supportive services to members with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorder History. The Peer Specialist will function as a role model to peers: exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills, serving as a consumer advocate, and providing consumer information and peer support for clients in outpatient and inpatient settings. The Peer Specialist will perform a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages, from young adults to old age, in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process. This position will function as part of the interdisciplinary team designed to meet the needs of both CORE and HARP members.

Assist clients in articulating personal goals for recovery by conducting one-to-one sessions. During these sessions, the Peer Counselor will support clients in identifying and creating goals and developing recovery plans with the skills, strengths, supports, and resources to aid them in achieving those goals.

Job Description

• Assist clients in working with their primary MetroPlusHealth Behavioral Health Care Manager and overall community treatment team in determining the steps he/she need to take to achieve their goals and self-directed recovery.
• Complete HRA Housing applications and assist with Supportive Housing placements. Escorting members when appropriate to scheduled housing interviews.
• Assist with arranging transportation to and from scheduled PCP Medical Appointments.
• Lead as well as teach members how to facilitate Recovery Dialogues and overcome relapse fears.
• Support members working with assigned Parole Officers when they may be on Probation.
• Participate in BH HARP Team meetings, supervision, discharge planning & clinical rounds discussions.
• Accompany HARP members to initial HCBS appointments if their assigned CMA worker is unavailable.
• Utilize the personal lived experience with mental emotional and /or substance abuse challenges to empower individuals served by the program to define and pursue their own strength-based recovery and wellness goals.
• Assist clients in building social skills in the community that will enhance their quality of life.
• Utilizing their recovery experience, the Peer Specialist will support and promote the value of every individual’s recovery experience.
• Provide peer support during crises of individuals who are frequently high utilizers of emergency department services who fail to engage in community treatment.
• Assist clients in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma through self-advocacy. This will be accomplished through regular meetings and individual or group sessions. Through the use of role-playing/modeling techniques the Peer Specialist 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.
• With assistance from the Behavioral Health Care Manager Team Lead, the Peer Specialist will work with the members and other treatment team staff to develop a treatment/recovery plan based on each member’s identified goals. Treatment/Recovery Plans will be reviewed and signed by the Team Leader and other participating treatment team staff.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School graduation or evidence of having satisfactory passed a High School Equivalency Program; and
• 5 years of professional Behavioral Health experience; or
• An equivalent combination of training, education, and experience
• Knowledge of the concerns and challenges of persons living with SMI and/or SUD; AND/OR
• Knowledge of the Recovery process and the ability to facilitate recovery using established standardized mental health processes.
• Knowledge and skill to teach and engage in basic problem-solving strategies to support individual clients in self-directed recovery.
• Knowledge to use community resources necessary for independent living and the ability to teach those skills to other individuals with severe mental illness. Community resources may include but are not limited to DSS (social security office), local YMCA or social club, library, laundry, post office, clients’ service organizations, housing providers, etc. The Peer Counselor may accompany clients to community resources to assist them in accessing these resources.
• Computer literacy with Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, and Teams) and working knowledge of how to document member notes within an electronic medical record system.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred. Fluency in other languages is welcomed.  

Licensure and/or Certification Required

• Required New York Certification as a Peer Specialist
• CASAC – T preferred

Professional Competencies

• Integrity and Trust
• Teamwork
• Customer Focus
• Written/Oral Communication
• Compassionate and Positive Attitude to instill hope within member’s lives
• Computer knowledge: MS Word, Teams, and Outlook for email communication.