PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST - HOC BPSR

Peer Support Specialist

The Peer Support Specialists provides peer support services that include case management and transition support services and provides information that will help clients regain control over their own life and recovery and rehabilitation process. The PSS refers and connects clients to community services.

The Peer Support Specialists reports to the Healing Oaks Clinic (BPSR) Urgent Walk-In Manager.

The Healing Oaks Hybrid Outpatient Clinic (HOC), a Short-Doyle Medi-Cal certified (SD/MC) and Drug Medi-Cal (DMC-ODS) Program, that will provide outpatient psychiatric and behavioral health services to individuals ages 18+ with severe mental illnesses (SMI), including co-occurring disorders (COD), in the Central Region of San Diego of zip-code 92114. As a hybrid outpatient and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), HOC will provide evidence-based services to include psycho-social rehabilitation practices with a strengths-based emphasis that include psychosocial rehabilitation, psychiatric medication management, individual and group counseling, employment support, peer support, urgent walk-in and assessment, mobile outreach, case management, MAT, ambulatory withdrawal management, recovery services, and both outpatient and intensive outpatient substance use treatment. These services have been designed to help residents in San Diego County with specialized care for transitional-aged youth (TAY), justice involved individuals, and individuals with co-occurring disorder to include severe mental illness. Through these services, HOC will help residents of the community increase their functionality, live more fulfilling lives, transition into lower levels of care and ultimately achieve a sustained recovery from substance use and mental illness. HOC's services also include specialized programs for TAY, Older Adults, and individuals with COD that are person-centered, individualized, clinically effective, outcomes-driven, culturally responsive, gender-specific, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, and inclusive of Evidence-based treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery service approaches.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties:

• Engages and assists clients to connect with and obtain needed services in the community such as medical services, employment, substance use treatment services and housing services, that suit the individual's needs;
• Engages individuals to actively utilize the bio-psychosocial rehabilitation services for determining personal objectives/goals for recovery and steps that need to be taken to achieve these goals;
• Connect with clients and their families to medical clinic providers, as well as other clinic and community-based services;
• Arrange transportation, utilizing LYFT services or personal vehicles, and accompany clients to office visits as needed; Use motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and harm-reduction practices;
• Assists individuals to identify problems that may interfere with the achievement of their goals and help in the development and use of specific interventions needed for overcoming the problems;
• Provides mobile outreach to re-engage high-risk and/or disengaged clients;
• Provides mobile outreach to existing and potential clients at psychiatric hospitals and crisis residential programs;
• Teaches individuals how to identify and fight stigma and other factors that hinder the process of recovery and rehabilitation;
• Role models effective ways for recovery based on personal recovery experience and training;
• Develops and shares recovery-oriented materials; Informs individuals about community resources and how to utilize these in their recovery;
• Leads Program Advisory Groups (PAG), Wellness and Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) groups, and Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) groups;
• Completes all other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of social, healthcare, supportive and other services/resources available in the San Diego community; Evidence-based practices and issues pertaining to psychosocial treatments for SUD, Motivational Interviewing, and Relapse Prevention. Experience working with a culturally diverse population and knowledge of cultural issues, values, & beliefs of the target population of adults w/ SMI, homelessness, co-occurring disorders, and criminogenic risks and needs, relevant to providing appropriate BPSR program services; Clinical assessment of clients with severe mental illness, counseling theory, and clinical care coordination principles, and best practices, cultural and socio-economic issues relevant to providing appropriate rehabilitation and recovery services to special population groups, including Latino, African American, and LGBTQIA+ communities, human behavior and the social environment; Exercise sound, expert independent judgment within general policy guidelines; Communicate clearly and concisely; operate a computer using word processing, spreadsheet, and database software applications; Operate standard office equipment.

Experience and Training: A high school diploma or General Education Degree (GED) and at least one (1) year of related experience and/or training with SMI population; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Graduates from the Peer Employment Training Program are preferred. Training in Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) and Whole Health Action Management (WHAM).

Licenses, Certificates and Special Requirements: Requires lived experience as a person in recovery from a mental health and/or co-occurring disorder; or as a family member of a person in recovery. If in recovery, candidate must demonstrate a mental health recovery milestone; substance abuse recovery requires a minimum of three years clean and sober. Must be willing and able to use personal vehicle to transport clients. One Peer Support Specialist position must be Bilingual in Spanish. A Valid Driver's License with current California automobile insurance; A Valid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification; A Valid Tuberculosis Blood (TB) test. Some positions require transportation of clients in personal vehicle. Must pass the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist training & exam within six months of hire.

Physical and Mental Demands:

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands: Employee is required to stand, bend or stoop for long periods of time; sit, stand, talk or hear in person and by telephone, use hands to finger, handle and feel computers and other standard office equipment, and reach with hands and arms. The employee infrequently lifts up to 30 pounds. This is a field-based program; employees will provide services in the community or social settings.

Mental Demands :

This job includes close vision and the ability to adjust focus; use written and oral communications skills; read and interpret information and documents; analyze and solve problems; observe and interpret people and situations.

Work Environment:

The employee works under typical office conditions; the noise level varies, usually between quiet to moderate noise as well as in the field with a varied work environment.

Neighborhood House Association