PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Citizen Advocates; City of Watertown (NY); On-site; USD 25,000 - 36,000; Part time

Job summary

Citizen Advocates, Inc. is seeking a Peer Support Specialist to deliver non-clinical, trauma-informed services focused on recovery and community living skills in the Watertown area. This role emphasizes peer-delivered services, linking clients to natural supports and resources, and promoting independence.

The position spans advocacy, outreach, self-help tools, and transitional supports within a flexible schedule. Strong communication and confidentiality are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Communication and interpersonal skills essential for peer support.
• Ability to manage time and organize tasks in field settings.
• Confidentiality and ethical conduct required in sensitive cases.

Responsibilities

• Advocacy: assist with benefits, food, shelter, housing and shared decision making.
• Outreach and engagement: accompany clients to appointments and removal of access barriers.
• Self-help tools: guide recovery tools and connect to warm lines and community supports.
• Peer recovery supports: provide education, counseling, and life-skill coaching.
• Transitional supports: bridge to home, community, and services after discharge.
• Pre-crisis and crisis support: offer non-clinical support in emergencies or crises.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Crisis management

Time management

Confidentiality

Ethical conduct

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: 650 State Watertown - Watertown, NY 13601, Position Type: Relief, Salary Range: $18.00 - $26.00 Hourly, Our Mission and Vision are supported by a foundation of excellence

SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE:

Peer Support services are peer-delivered services with a rehabilitation and recovery focus. They are designed to promote skills for coping with and managing behavioral health symptoms while facilitating the utilization of natural resources and the enhancement of recovery-oriented principles (e.g. hope and self-efficacy, and community living skills). Peer support uses trauma-informed, non-clinical assistance to achieve long-term recovery from a behavioral health disorder.

Activities included must be intended to achieve the identified goals or objectives as set forth in the individuals/families individualized service plan, which delineates specific goals that are flexibly tailored to the participant(s) and attempt to utilize community and natural supports. The intent of these activities is to assist individuals and/or their families in initiating recovery, maintaining recovery, and enhancing the quality of personal and family life in long-term recovery.

Essential Functions (Job Duties)

Advocacy

• Assistance seeking and obtaining benefits and entitlements, food, shelter, permanent housing.
• Assisting recipients in participating in shared decision making.
• Use Peer Bridgers to assist with linkages to and systems navigation within behavioral health and allied human services systems to access appropriate care.
• Benefits advisement and planning.
• Development of psychiatric advance directives (PAD).
• Assistance advocating for self-directed services.

Outreach and Engagement

• Companionship and modeling of recovery lifestyle, including participation in recovery activities that might be beyond the scope of treatment providers (e.g., coffee/tea at a coffee shop, attending a court date, attending an appointment, attending or participating in a recovery celebration event or wellness activity).
• Raising the awareness of existing services, pathways to recovery and helping a person to remove barriers that exist for access to them.
• Interim visits with individuals and/or their families after discharge from Hospital Emergency Rooms, Detox Units or Inpatient Psychiatric Units to facilitate community tenure and increased readiness while waiting for the first post-discharge visit with a community based mental health provider, treatment provider or appropriate system of care.
• “Outreach” is a face-to-face service with a patient and/or their family provided by clinical staff or a peer advocate for the purpose of increasing motivation to participate in clinically indicated treatment for chemical dependence.
• Individuals and/or families identified for this intervention must be current patients who have failed to appear for sessions at the program and are judged to be at risk for prematurely discontinuing treatment or persons transitioning from another Office-certified program.

Self-help Tools

• Assist selecting and utilizing self-directed recovery tools such as Relapse Prevention Planning.
• Assist selecting and utilizing the things that bring a sense of passion, purpose and meaning into his/her life and coaching the person as they identify barriers to engaging in these activities.
• Assist individuals to help connect to natural supports that enhance the quality and security of life.
• Connecting individuals to “warm lines.”
• Connections to self-help groups in the community.

Peer Recovery Supports and Peer Counseling

• Recovery education and counseling for individuals and their family members.
• One to one peer support. Person centered goal planning that incorporates life areas such as community connectedness, physical wellness, spirituality, employment, self-help.
• Assisting with skills development that guides people towards a more independent life.
• Individuals in continuing care may receive counseling or peer services once per month.
• Learning and practicing new skills.
• Helping peers self-monitor their progress.
• Modeling effective coping skills.

Transitional Supports

• Bridging from jail or prison to an individual’s/family’s home (note: that peer supports while in Jail are not Medicaid reimbursable).
• Bridging from institutions (e.g. inpatient or residential facilities) to an individual’s/family’s home (note: that peer supports while in an institution are not Medicaid reimbursable).
• Bridging from general hospitals to an individual’s/family’s home.
• Bridging from an individual’s/family’s home to the community.
• Arrangements for appropriate services (appointment dates, contact names, and numbers, etc.) are discussed and made with the individual/family, their significant others and/or family prior to the planned discharge date.
• Documentation of this information will be included in the individual’s/family’s case record.
• Where an individual and/or family is going from a bedded service to another service, a warm hand-off or peer service is considered where possible.

Pre-crisis and Crisis Support Services

• Providing companionship when an individual or family in an emergency room or crisis unit or preparing to be admitted to detox, residential or other service to provide non-clinical support.
• Providing peer support in the individual’s/family’s home or in the community to support them before a crisis or relapse.
• Developing crisis diversion plans or relapse prevention plans.

Qualifications: Competencies

• Communication
• Organization
• Crisis Management/Composure
• Time Management
• Confidentiality
• Ethical Conduct

Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work This is a part-time/full-time position.

Workweek schedule: Schedule determined by supervisor to meet location/departmental needs.

Hours and schedules may vary depending on Company need and workload. Employees will be given as much advance notice as possible when such changes occur.

Travel Frequent.

Area of coverage: North Country Region.

Required Education and Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• “Lived” / relevant experience.
• Clean driving record for 3 years is required.
• Must maintain certification requirements

Other Duties Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Employment at Citizen Advocates is “at win”. You are free to resign at any time and for any reason sufficient to you, just as Citizen Advocates is free to terminate your employment at any time and for any reason. We do not guarantee continued or permanent employment.