Under general supervision of the Program Manager of Supported Employment, the Peer Support Specialist will be a current or former recipient of mental health services and/or substance use disorder services, should have self-knowledge and self-awareness of his or her mental health diagnosis/illness and/or substance use disorder, and willing to use and share his or her personal, practical experience, knowledge, and first-hand insight to benefit the team and its clients.

Under the clinical supervision of the Manager of SUD Service, the Peer Support Specialist shall provide peer counseling and consultation to individual clients, families, and team members; act as a liaison with community resources; carry out rehabilitation and support functions; and assist in treatment, substance abuse services, education, support and consultation to families and crisis intervention.

Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Models skills for and provides consultation to fellow team members.
• Provides cross training to other team members in recovery principles and strategies.
• Collaborates effectively, while using interpersonal skills and abilities, with individuals with mental health illnesses and their families, agency referrals, and other service providers in the community.
• Serves as a mentor to clients to promote hope and empowerment while providing skills to link clients to employment and/or skill building, which leads to employment.
• Provides expertise and consultation from a mental health consumer perspective to team members concerning clients’ experiences on symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side effects of medications, clients’ responses to and opinion of treatment, and clients’ experiences of recovery.
• Help clients identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and substance use, develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
• Increases awareness of and support for client participation in client self-help programs and consumer advocacy organizations that promote recovery.
• Assists other team members to identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses and substance use and develop strategies to eliminate stigma within the organization.
• Provides services to clients in multiple settings including jail, shelters, streets, hospitals, and homes.
• Facilitates referrals to employers in the community and/or link with our internal programs as needed, substance use disorder care and treatment (including low-threshold, medication-assisted treatment, and evidence-based psychological and behavioral treatments) and essential support services (including transportation, mental health services, and El Barrio.
• Assists clients in identifying and coping with mental illness and/or substance use by encouraging clinical engagement practices and techniques in addition to community activities.
• Encourages and supports clients through the development of mental capacity for independence and healthy independent decision making, related to but not limited to the living situation, hygiene, personal care, household skills, medication administration, social skills, job readiness skills, coping techniques, etc.
• Observes and reports behavior, attitude, mood swings, mental health, substance use, and/or healthcare needs.

Other Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Adheres to the ethical, confidentiality, and professional-standards requirements of federal and state law, the policies of this organization, and the policies of licensing and credentialing boards.
• Speaks and acts in a manner that is sensitive and responsive to a person’s ethnic, cultural, and developmental background, to any disabling conditions, and to conditions that may affect the person’s ability to form accurate perceptions, process information, understand directions, and communicate important information.
• Consistently interacts with members of this and other organizations in a respectful, professional manner; productively contributes to the functioning of an interdisciplinary team.
• Assumes additional responsibilities and performs special projects as needed or directed.

Job Qualifications

• At least two years of experience is required.
• The following minimum qualifications are required:
• (1) self-identified as an individual with a serious mental illness who is currently or formerly a recipient of mental health services;
• (2) in the process of his/her recovery, and
• (3) completed training in wellness management and recovery interventions.
• A certification as Peer Support Specialist is required.

Certifications, Licenses, Registrations

• Valid Ohio driver license with less than six points and proof of automobile insurance, adhering to the minimum requirements of Ohio’s Financial Responsibility Act.
• CPR certification, first aid and non-violent crisis intervention training within 60 days of hire.

Travel

Travel and presence in the community will comprise approximately 30%-40% of this role.

Hours per week: 40

Physical Demands/Work Environment

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of The Centers. Since no position description can detail all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time in the performance of a job, duties, and responsibilities that may be inherent in a job, reasonably required for its performance, or required due to the changing nature of the job shall be considered part of the jobholder's responsibility.