SUD Peer Support Specialist
About the Organization
Lakes Region Mental Health Center (LRMHC) is the community mental health center serving Belknap and southern Grafton Counties. We provide services to 24 surrounding towns, and nearly 4,000 patients each year. A non-profit, private corporation founded in 1966, Lakes Region Mental Health Center is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors dedicated to our mission. We provide integrated mental and physical health care to children, adults, elders and their families who are living with – and recovering from- mental illness and/or emotional distress. Our dedicated professionals provide the highest quality of healthcare and collaborate with many other organizations in the region to improve access to care and meet the mental health needs of the community. By working in partnership with other health care providers, hospitals, law enforcement, corrections, courts, school districts, social workers and public health officials, we are able to provide a continuum of care for our patients and improve the quality of life in the Lakes Region.
About the Job
**This position includes a $2,000 sign on bonus**
PRIMARY PURPOSE: Uses their own lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction, plus skills learned in formal training, to deliver services in mental health settings, and other settings, to promote mind-body recovery and resiliency.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the general supervision of the SUD Services Program and within the agency’s and program’s policies and procedures, the Peer Support Specialist performs the following:
- Coordinates and oversees Peer Supports services for the project
- Enters into mutually supportive relationships with patients that support recovery
- Shares their stories of recovery
- 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
- Provide medically necessary functional support services with a recovery focus to patients and their families
- Maximize patient choice, self-determinization and decision-making in the planning, delivery and evaluation of treatment, recovery and support services
- Assists patients to discover and maintain a valued role(s) in the community
- Facilitate and ensure patient choice, self-determination and decision making in the planning, delivery and evaluation of treatment
- 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
- Provide peer counseling and consultation to patients, family members and team, and act as liaison to community services
- Attendance is an essential function of this position.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES REQUIRED: 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
- Lived experience of mental illness, substance use disorder, and recovery
- Able to establish 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
- Able to build a relationship of trust, as observed by patients, supervisor and team • strong commitment to the right and ability of persons with mental illness and substance misuse disorders to live in the community, to work, and to have access to appropriate services • provides input into program issues and shares/receives feedback in a healthy, constructive atmosphere
- General knowledge about medications and diagnosis, as well as working knowledge of issues, recovery, and supportive living concepts associated with patients and uses these appropriately with patients
- Ability to organize workload so that clinical and administrative duties are completed in a timely and thorough manner without the need for direct supervision.
- Ability to follow through on responsibilities to the satisfaction of supervisor or other contact person(s).
- Makes effort to learn and understand the program’s operation and philosophy and apply this knowledge productively both within and outside of the team setting.
- Represents the program/patients/agency positively in interactions within and outside of the agency.
- Able to establish a rapport and build working relationships with patients
- Treats patients with dignity and respect and takes a patient centered approach to services, as noted through supervision, team participation, and feedback from staff and patients.
- Ability to use computers, word processing equipment
- Ability to express or exchange ideas by means of 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.
- Visual acuity must meet minimum standard to work with preparing, reading, and analyzing data and reports, work with a computer terminal, etc.
TRAVEL: Some travel required within the 24-town catchment area to meet project objectives.
If you are interested in this or any of our open positions please visit www.lrmhc.org/careers to apply or email kjordan@lrmhc.org for more information!