Overnight Peer Specialist

Mental-Health-Association-of-Nassau-County; Village of Hempstead (NY); On-site; USD 25,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Mental Health Association of Nassau County (MHANC) is seeking an Overnight Peer Specialist to provide peer support and companionship to guests in our facility. The role leverages lived experience to foster hope, resilience, and wellness, guiding individuals toward recovery while maintaining a safe environment.

The specialist will engage guests through intake and ongoing interaction, share recovery experiences, and collaborate with the respite team to reduce crises and promote personal growth.

Qualifications

• Lived experience to assist peers in recovery.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to relate to both peers and professionals.
• Willingness to utilize personal experience to help others.

Responsibilities

• Provide supportive companionship for guests throughout their visit (interview, intake, arrival, stay and departure).
• Share personal recovery to encourage hope and wellness.
• Model and support belief in recovery and better outcomes.
• Engage peers to encourage problem solving and use of tools to reduce crises.
• Practice non-judgmental active listening.
• Maintain a clean, safe environment; some cleaning may be involved.
• Provide telephone support as needed.
• Facilitate self-help or peer support groups.
• Keep accurate records and work with respite team.
• Maintain client confidentiality.

Skills

Lived experience

Communication skills

Emotional resilience

Non-judgmental listening

Team collaboration

Education

High School Diploma

Job description

Description

Mental Health Association of Nassau County (MHANC) is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to improving mental health in our community through advocacy, education, program development, and the delivery of direct services. Our organization is looking for a motivated individual with a calling to help adults with mental illness by becoming an Overnight Peer Specialist.

Overnight Peer Specialist utilizes personal experience and respite training to provide peer support and companionship for guests. The Overnight Peer Specialists manifest, in their presence and actions, a vision of hope, resilience, opportunity, and wellness. Goals include lessening/alleviating emotional distress and crises, lessening use of emergency rooms and hospitals, and increasing personal growth with positive life choices.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide supportive companionship for guests throughout their visit to house (interview, intake, arrival, stay and departure).
• Share personal recovery to encourage hope, wellness, personal growth and recovery.
• Model and support the belief that individuals can and will do better.
• Utilize effective engagement skills to connect, use mutually shared insights to encourage problem solving and utilization of tools that will assist in lessening or alleviating current and future crisis.
• Non-judgmental active listening designed to meet individual "where they are at".
• Help maintain a clean, safe, and secure environment. Some cleaning may be involved.
• Provide telephone support to peers in the community though our Consumer Phone Link Program as needed.
• Facilitate self-help, support groups.
• Keep accurate and timely records
• Work cooperatively with respite team.
• Maintains client confidentiality.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• High School Diploma
• Six months to one year current or recent employment.
• Six months to one year part time or full time experience in delivery of direct services to mental health consumer/survivors (volunteer or paid), preferred.
• Three months first hand experience in self-help or peer directed services and/or peer support groups, preferred.
• Completion of Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training preferred.
• NYCPS-P Certification Preferred

Other Qualifications

• Lived, experience and willingness to utilize personal experience to assist others in recovery.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Basic knowledge of community support services/resources/mental health service delivery system, preferred.
• Knowledge of consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement and peer run or peer driven services that incorporate recovery based philosophies.
• Ability to relate to both other survivors of mental illness and psychiatric diagnosis and mental health professionals.
• Honesty, respect for diversity, high personal standards, professional demeanor, language and behaviors reflecting such values.
• Commitment to the possibility of recovery for all individuals diagnosed with psychiatric illness.
• Emotional resilience to cope with strong emotions on an on-going basis.
• Valid and "clean" New York State Driver’s License, preferred.