Peer Counselor, Residential Crisis Support (Respite) - Garden House

ACMH, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 44,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

ACMH, INC. is seeking a Peer Counselor for Residential Crisis Support in Manhattan. You will provide empathetic, recovery-focused peer support and assist guests with daily living skills, including meal planning and personal care, within a supportive housing setting.

Responsibilities include crisis intervention, group activities, WRAPS development, advocacy, and safety training, with a focus on empowerment and recovery. Lived experience is essential; English communication is required.

Qualifications

• Lived experience receiving mental health services and a commitment to recovery.
• High School diploma or GED required.
• Spanish speaking preferred.
• Certified or credentialed as FPA/CRPA/YPA/Peer Specialist with required trainings.

Responsibilities

• Acts as role model; provides empathy and support to program participants.
• Regularly assesses guests’ functional skills and health/safety needs.
• Assists with meals, living space upkeep, hygiene and daily living activities.
• Monitors medication adherence and side-effects.
• Trains guests in safety procedures and conducts drills.
• Delivers health coaching and coping strategies; develops WRAPS.
• Leads peer support groups and wellness/self-management activities.
• Documents services and progress in agency records.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Data entry

Spanish (preferred)

Education

High School diploma or GED

Job description

Description

Lived experience as a consumer of mental health services is required.

Position

Peer Counselor, Residential Crisis Support (Respite) - Garden House

Function

Provides supportive counseling, promotes the development of skills for coping with and managing behavioral health symptoms, and assists program guests in developing community living skills. Provides Home and Community Based Services to clients, assisting with training in skills of daily living.

Reports to

Program Director, Residential Crisis Support (Respite)

Location

Manhattan (East Village)

Schedule(s)

• Full-time: Sundays through Thursdays (3pm-11pm)
• Part-time: Fridays & Saturdays (3pm-11pm)
• Part-time: Fridays & Saturdays (11pm-7am) or Mondays & Tuesdays (11pm-7am)

Tasks

• Acts as role model provides empathy and support to program participants (“guests”).
• Regularly assesses guests’ functional skills and their ability to care for their health and safety.
• Provides hands-on assistance with planning and preparing nutritious meals, maintaining living space, personal hygiene, and other activities of daily living.
• Monitors guest medication, including adherence and side-effects.
• Trains guests in safety procedures and conducts fire drills and self-preservation tests.
• Provides training in self-advocacy.
• Assists participants with conflict resolution.
• Provides health and wellness coaching, training in developing coping strategies and with symptom management.
• Develops Wellness and Recovery Action Plans (WRAPS) with guests.
• Plans and facilitates group socialization and recreational activities.
• Leads Wellness Self-Management and other peer support groups.
• Provides transportation training and escorts to appointments.
• Alerts Coordinator to incidents, regressions and high-risk behaviors.
• Provides crisis intervention in the event of an emergency.
• Documents services delivered, guest response to service, progress, regressions and incidents in compliance with agency procedures.
• Participates in the development, review and updating of transitional support plans and personal safety plans.
• Oversees maintenance of apartments, inventories furniture, and alerts Coordinator to maintenance problems.
• Delivers Peer Support HCBS with a rehabilitation focus based on an individualized recovery plan
• Teaches advocacy, provides outreach and engagement, self-help tools, recovery supports, transitional supports and crisis supports. Teaches skills for budgeting, shopping, meal planning, preparation, self-preservation, travel skills, & monitors living units for safety/cleanliness.
• Staffs Emergency Cell Phone on a rotating basis.
• Attends initial and ongoing training on Intentional Peer Support, Whole Health Action Management and other training as requested by supervisory personnel.
• Performs light cleaning tasks related to room turnover/preparation.
• Duties as assigned by supervisor.

Requirements

Lived experience receiving mental health services and a commitment to assist others in attaining recovery and wellness goals. High School diploma or G.E.D. Good written and verbal communication skills in English. Basic computer and data entry skills. Must be provisionally certified or credentialed, certified or credentialed as a Family Peer Advocate (FPA), Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA), Youth Peer Advocate (YPA), and/or Peer Specialists who have completed all required State approved trainings specific to their title (NYS Certified Peer Specialist). Spanish Speaking Preferred.

Peer Counselor, Certified – FT Salary: $49,192 plus generous benefits

Peer Counselor, Certified – P/T Hrly Salary: $23.65

Peer Counselor, Non-Certified – FT Salary: $48,672 plus generous benefits

Peer Counselor, Non-Certified - PT Hrly Salary: $23.40

ACMH is committed to the mental and physical wellbeing of vulnerable New Yorkers and is a leader in the provision of outreach and engagement, care management, rehabilitation, crisis support, and supportive housing. ACMH is committed to becoming an anti-racist organization and seeks to promote actionable change to create an intentional culture of equity at individual, interpersonal and institutional levels.

ACMH is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminte in employment decisions based on race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, mental or physical disability, marital status, veteran status or citizenship status.