Peer Recovery Specialist III (Opioid Response Team)

Peer Recovery Specialist III

Salary range: $47,262 - $54,351/annually

Are you compassionate, motivated, and ready to inspire and support individuals on their recovery journey? Norfolk Fire-Rescue is seeking applications for the position of Peer Recovery Specialist III.

As a Peer Recovery Specialist, you will provide peer support services to adults experiencing serious mental illness and/or substance use challenges such as accessing needed psychiatric treatment, housing, medical, social, educational, and vocational supports. Peer Recovery Specialists assist individuals in creating a foundation in recovery by promoting self-determination in identifying personal goals. As well as performing community outreach and crisis intervention.

Norfolk Fire-Rescue is your next opportunity to provide encouragement, advocacy, and mentorship to the citizens of Norfolk.

Essential Functions

• Is a role model of recovery by maintaining personal recovery, consistent self-care, and utilizing coping skills.
• Conducts outreach to individuals in the city of Norfolk; attempts to develop relationships with persons experiencing substance use challenges and homelessness; discuss goals and needs and identifies natural supports and resources that may be helpful to the individual; contacts consumers face-to-face through contact, site visits, and office visits, virtual visits, or in another community setting.
• Assists individuals in building meaningful social ties within the community.
• Links to services, resources, and supports as identified, including linking to psychiatric treatment, housing, entitlements, medical care, food, skill training, etc.
• Assists the individual directly, which may include transportation, for the purpose of obtaining needed resources; advocates for the consumer to procure needed resources or services, while empowering the individual to be as independent as possible.
• Coordinates services and service planning with other providers within Norfolk Community Service Board and with other agencies, and private providers, such as psychiatric hospitals, counselors, vocational programs, doctors, etc., and obtains clinical documentation as necessary from other providers to ensure continuity of care. May perform administrative duties.
• Ensures self-determination of the individual by meeting them where they are at, providing multiple pathways to treatment and recovery, providing education, and advocating on the behalf of the individual when requested.
• Facilitates groups to provide recovery and wellness education as well as opportunities to socialize in a meaningful way with others who may have shared experiences, challenges, and solutions.
• Provides peer support services within NCSB Peer Recovery Drop-in Center.
• Maintains the Norfolk Warm Line as needed to provide support and resources to those in the community.
• Attends outreach events to advocate on a community level and provide information to those outside of the NCSB.
• Provides practical guidance and education to guide the individual in problem-solving strategies and to develop a supportive therapeutic relationship; encourages compliance with treatment, discusses relapse prevention strategies, stress management, etc.; works to resolve critical or situations; links to emergency services as needed.
• Maintains chart documentation that follows agency guidelines and state regulations; ensures that documentation substantiates billing by completing documentation and submitting filing within specified time frames of providing the service; completes an accurate record of direct and consumer related service provided daily; documents within the role of a peer support specialist.
• Complies with regulations for HIPAA, mandated reporting of abuse and neglect, consumer confidentiality, and other consumer rights; maintains clinical data, in accordance with agency requirements, for consumers on assigned caseload.
• Attends agency staff meetings, case review meetings, supervisory meetings, and training as required.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Education/Experience

• High School diploma or GED.
• Two years of experience working with consumers with mental health and substance use challenges. Personal Recovery Plan in self-demonstrated recovery.

The preferred candidate will possess:

• Lived experience with substance abuse disorder.

Additional Information & Requirements

• Possess a driver's license.
• Completion of the DBHDS 72-Hour Peer Recovery Specialist Training.
• Registered and Certified Peer Recovery Specialist issued by Virginia Certification Board.
• CIT Trained.