Certified Peer Support Specialist

JOB SUMMARY

The Certified Peer Specialist is an active member of Premier Service of Carolina, Inc., and provides peer support services to clients with serious mental illnesses in the community.

Under the supervision of the Clinical Director and the Program Director, 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, providing consumer information and peer support for clients in outpatient and inpatient settings.

This is a 1099 Contract Position Must live near or able to relocate to Concord, NC

Job Responsibilities:

Assist clients in articulating personal goals for recovery through one-to-one and group sessions. During these sessions, the PS 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

Assist clients in working with their named treatment team in determining the steps he/she need to take in order to achieve these goals and self-directed recovery.

Assist clients in setting up and sustaining self-help (mutual support) groups, as well as means of locating and joining existing groups.

Utilize tools such as the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to assist clients in creating their own individual wellness and recovery plans.

Independently or with periodic assistance of higher graded treatment team members, utilize and teach problem-solving techniques with individuals and groups;

The Peer Support Specialist may share their own experiences and what skills, strengths, supports, and resources they use.

The Peer Support Specialist will share their own recovery story and as the facilitator of these sessions, will demonstrate how they have directed their own recovery.

The Peer Support Specialist will provide ongoing individual and group sessions to teach clients how to identify and combat negative self-talk.

Assist clients in building social skills in the community that will enhance job acquisition and tenure

Teach and role model the value of every individual’s recovery experience.

Assist the client in obtaining decent and affordable housing of his/her choice in the most integrated, independent, and least intrusive or restrictive environment by taking them out to view housing, either driving them or riding with them on public transportation.

The Peer Support Services models effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.

Serve as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for any effective recovery based services that will aid the client in daily living.

Assist in obtaining services that suit that individual’s recovery needs by providing names of staff, community resources, and groups that may be useful.

Inform clients about community and natural supports and how to use these in the recovery process. Community resources may include but are not limited to the Social Security office, Department of Family and Children services, local YMCA, Library, restaurants, clients’ service organizations, apartment complexes, and other types of housing, etc.

Assist clients in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma through self-advocacy. This will be accomplished through regular meetings and individual or group sessions.

With assistance from the Program Coordinator/Team Leader, the Peer Specialist will work with the clients and other treatment team staff to develop a treatment/recovery plan based on each client’s identified goals.

Plans will be reviewed and signed by the Coordinator/Team Leader and other participating treatment team staff.

The Peer Support Specialist will document the following on the client’s treatment/recovery plan:

identified person-centered strengths, needs, abilities, and recovery goals

interventions to assist the client with reaching their goals for recovery

progress made toward goals

QUALIFICATION and EDUCATION:

Required: NC Peer support certification

Work Environment

This job involves both administrative and clerical duties that require a willingness to work in a behavioral healthcare office setting.

Note: This job description does not list all your job duties. The position description and job requirements above have been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to the subject position. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each job satisfactorily. Occasionally your supervisor or manager might request that you perform other reasonable duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Review of your performance is based on your performance of the duties listed in this Job Description at any time. This Job Description is not an employment contract.