ACT Peer Support Specialist

PRIMARY PURPOSE:     

“A Peer Specialist Provider is a person who uses his or her lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction, plus skills learned in formal training, to deliver services in mental health settings to promote mind-body recovery and resiliency.”  (SAMHSA definition)

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES & TASKS:

Under the general supervision of their Supervisor and within the agency and program policies and procedures, the Peer Support Specialist (PSS) shares their stories of recovery and enters into mutually supportive relationships with patients that support recovery.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Serve as a team member and shares personal and practical experience of recovery and knowledge of the delivery of mental health services to benefit the team and its patients.
2. Provide medically necessary services with a recovery focus to patients and their families
3. Maximize patient choice, self-determination and decision making in the planning, delivery and evaluation of treatment, recovery and support services
4. Assist patients to discover and maintain a valued role(s) in the community.
5. Facilitate and ensure patient choice, self-determination and decision making in the planning, delivery and evaluation of treatment.
6. Provide advocacy and education on behalf of the patients and their families to legislators, decision makers, community members and agencies about mental health, recovery and peer support.
7. Provide peer counseling and consultation to patients, family members and team, and acts as a liaison to community services.
8. Attendance is a requirement of this position.
    
   REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

The individual must possess the knowledge, skills and ability noted below or be able to explain and demonstrate how they can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some combination of skills and abilities.  The individual must also possess the necessary physical capacities, with or without the aid of mechanical devices or other forms of accommodation, to safely perform the primary functions of the job.

1. Will have lived experience of mental illness and recovery.
2. Is able to establish a rapport with patients.  Treats patients with dignity and respect and takes a patient centered approach, as noted through supervision, team participation, and feedback from patients and staff.  Is able to build a relationship of trust, as observed by patients, supervisor, and team.
3. Has a strong commitment to the right and ability of persons with mental illness to live in the community, to work and to have access to appropriate services.
4. Provides input into program issues and shares/receives feedback in a healthy, constructive atmosphere.
5. Has general knowledge about medications and diagnosis as well as a working knowledge of issues, recovery and supportive living concepts associated with patients and uses these appropriately with patients.
6. With the assistance of the supervisor, is able to organize and prioritize a workload so that recovery and administrative duties are completed on time and in accordance with productivity and quality standards.
7. Follows through with responsibilities to the satisfaction of contact persons and/or supervisor.
8. Learns the philosophy and operating procedures of the agency and applies them effectively both within and outside the agency.
9. Represents the patients/program/agency constructively both within and outside the agency.
10. Maintains general knowledge of community resources and presents these to patients/supervisor/team as appropriate.
11. Maintains a working knowledge of the benefits systems and utilizes this information to the best advantage of the patients.
12. Ability to use computers and word processing equipment.
13. Ability to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word and to receive detailed information through oral communication.  Primary functions include activities in which verbal communication with patients and with others is key to job effectiveness.
14. Visual acuity must meet a minimum standard to work with preparing, reading and analyzing data and reports, work with computer terminals, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in the Human Services areas with emphasis in mental health/or personal experience; a combination of education and lived experience may be substituted.  Valid driver’s license.  Able to pass LRMHC criminal records and motor vehicle screening.   Must maintain personal auto insurance at a level commensurate with agency requirements.

WORK SCHEDULE:

Varied.