Advocacy Specialist 2, Central Offce;

New York State Office of Mental Health; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) seeks an Advocacy Specialist 2 to join the Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services in the NYC field office. The role promotes peer recovery values and the inclusion of peers, families, and communities in state mental health policy and program planning.

You will collaborate with field offices and providers to deliver technical assistance, lived expertise, and training statewide.

Qualifications

• Six years of experience as a professional advocate or service provider in rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, or homeless youth.
• Substitution rules allow degree-based substitutions as described above.
• Lived mental health experience and peer advocacy credentials are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as liaison between OMH and the community to promote voice, choice, and participation in services.
• Conduct outreach, attend events, tabling at conferences, and provide peer support training.
• Mentor individuals to connect with peer services and guide programs on best practices.
• Guide agencies in developing peer/recovery-oriented services and supporting the peer workforce.
• Participate in program/licensing visits and provide feedback on strengths and improvement needs.
• Contribute to internal workgroups and provide data to departments to foster systemic changes.
• Support Peer Specialists within state-operated centers in the five boroughs.

Education

Associate degree substitution for two years of general experience

Bachelor’s degree substitution for four years of general experience

Master’s degree substitution for five years of general experience

Doctorate substitution for six years of general experience

Job description

Duties Description

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) is recruiting to fill an Advocacy Specialist 2, SG-18, position in the Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services (OAPSS) located at the NYC field office. OAPSS works to ensure the inclusion of recipients across the lifespan (youth, transition age youth, adults, and older adults) and their family’s perspectives into OMH policy making and program planning, development, and evaluation. The incumbent will work to promote peer recovery values and the inclusion of people of all ages and families who receive or have received mental health services, as well as peers support workers, advocates, and the community, as well as serve at a Regional level and function as a Regional Advocacy Specialist interacting and collaborating with all relevant programs and departments, Field Offices, Central Office, and local mental health providers to deliver technical assistance, lived expertise, and training to State and local mental health programs statewide.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serve as the liaison between the Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the community, seeking input from individuals and families in a variety of forums to create a feedback loop, and to promote voice, choice, and meaningful participation in services.
• Perform community outreach tasks with the goal of building relationships with providers and partners including providing support to Peer-run agencies/Peer-directed programs and family-run agencies/family-directed programs, attending community events, tabling at conferences, and providing presentations with topics like peer support best practices, stigma reduction, and other topics that support recovery, self-determination, cultural curiosity, and trauma responsiveness.
• Provide individual mentoring and guidance by helping to facilitate connection to peer services as well as guidance to community programs on peer support best practices, and ways to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by individuals and families within the mental health and intersecting systems.
• Provide guidance to agencies on developing peer/recovery-oriented services and support to enhance the provision of peer support services regionally and foster growth of the peer support workforce.
• Participate in licensed or unlicensed program visits and provide feedback on the program’s strengths and improvement needs including participating as a reviewer for a licensing visit, participating in a supportive housing visit, and providing feedback to licensing on a program's peer specialist job description.
• Work internally within the Office of Mental Health (OMH) toward systemic changes through participation in internal workgroups, providing data/feedback to other departments, and reviewing potential new programs.
• Provide support to the Peer Specialists within state operated psychiatric centers within the 5 boroughs and the associated programs.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified candidates must possess:

• Six years of experience* as a professional advocate or service provider in rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, or homeless youth.

• Substitution: An associate degree may substitute for two years of general experience; a bachelor’s degree may substitute for four years of general experience; a master’s degree may substitute for five years of general experience; or a doctorate may substitute for six years of general experience

Preferred qualifications:

• Lived mental health experience from first-hand, personal knowledge and understanding gained from directly navigating and receiving services and/or supports as an element of their recovery.
• Experience as a peer advocate in the mental health system
• A mental health peer certification or credential (New York Certified Peer Specialist [NYCPS or NYCPS-P], Youth Peer Advocacy credential [YPA or YPA-P], or Family Peer Advocacy Credential [FPA or FPA-P])

Additional Comments

Schedule and telecommuting will be discussed during the interview process. New York Certified Peer Specialists (NYCPS) are encouraged to apply.

The Mission of the New York State Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. The Office of Mental Health embraces diversity and promotes a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, and respected. The New York State Office of Mental Health is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.