Peer Support Specialist

Recovery-Centers-of-Montana; Kalispell (MT); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Recovery-Centers-of-Montana seeks a Peer Support Specialist to empower individuals with mental health challenges within a supportive treatment team. You will help create and implement recovery-oriented plans, facilitate sessions, and provide transportation as needed.

The role emphasizes collaboration with the treatment team, family engagement, and community resource linkage, with focus on self-determination and least-restrictive settings.

Qualifications

• Ability to assess and respond to the needs of adults.
• Understanding of community resources and knowledge of how to access services.
• Understanding of issues and relationships with a diverse group of people; demonstrates interpersonal skills, humor, adaptability, and positive self-concept.
• Empathy and adequate communication skills (verbal & written) to establish trusting relationships.
• Willingness to work beyond 9-5 and identify crises to refer as needed.
• Must be able to provide transportation using own vehicle for participants.

Responsibilities

• Establishes a supportive relationship with individuals served and collaborates with the treatment team on case planning.
• Promotes a culture of respect and integrates preferences into treatment, rehabilitation, and community support.
• Models and teaches empowerment, self-determination, and decision-making skills.
• Maintains records with observations and actions in clear, concise language.
• Attends team meetings, trainings, and participates in advisory groups and community activities.
• Provides transportation, organizes activities, and supports families as needed.

Skills

Needs assessment

Community resources

Interpersonal skills

Empathy & communication

Crisis response

Transportation

Teamwork

Computer skills

Driver's license

Vehicle insurance

Background checks

Job description

Peer Support Specialist

Job description:

• Under the supervision of the Site Manager and Program Supervisor, the Peer Specialist teaches, supports, and monitors empowerment, self-determination, decision making and individualized service delivery to persons served.
• The Peer Specialist is a recipient of mental health services for severe and persistent mental illness.
• The Peer Specialist promotes a team culture in which the team recognizes, understands, and respects individual preferences and points of view and ensures that they are integrated into the treatment, rehabilitation, and community self-help activities.
• Peer Specialist assists individuals in a variety of ways, including problem solving, mediation, brief respite, community stabilization and relapse prevention.
• The Peer Specialist provides emotional support to participants to assist their maintenance in the least restrictive setting and to enhance self-sufficiency skills.
• The Peer Specialist provides transportation related to outings and resource connection.
• The Peer Specialist communicates emotional and behavioral observations to the treatment team and completes record keeping functions.
• Caseload and/or billing expectations and requirements must be met on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis.
• PEER support will sometimes help with transportation of clients.
• This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.
• The employee will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by his/her supervisor.

Essential Job Functions:

• Caseload and/or billing expectations and requirements must be met on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis.
• Establishes a supportive relationship with individuals served.
• Collaboratively establishes, with the treatment team, a case plan with goals, objectives, and activities.
• Promotes a culture in the team in which individuals are respected, their viewpoints and personal preferences are integrated into treatment, rehabilitation, and community support activities.
• Models, teaches, and supports individuals served in learning empowerment, self-determination, and decision‑making skills.
• Spends time with individuals and families as assigned and/or as identified on the treatment plan.
• Participates in treatment team meetings.
• Attends NAMI and LAC meetings, engaging participants in attending and participating.
• Facilitates Participant Advisory Council.
• Provides recreational and social opportunities to teach, coach and monitor skills.
• May help organize family nights and support groups.
• Helps the family problem solve when issues arise.
• Records pertinent information in language that describes observations and actions including interventions, in a complete, concise, and accurate manner.
• Reports behavioral and emotional observations of individuals and/or family members to the support team.
• Meets with supervisor bi-weekly or as necessary to discuss individuals served and services provided.
• Participates in trainings and passes testing required by Recovery Center of Montana.
• Checks voice mail as requested; can identify and differentiate between those situations requiring immediate attention and those that can be scheduled during ‘regular’ working hours.
• Completes all work within specified time, and follows Montana state law and Recovery Center of Montana policies and procedures.
• Recognizes the need for professional intervention and makes the appropriate referrals to community resources.
• Assists in training and orientation of peer specialists.
• Each peer specialist will provide the quota set of direct service weekly.
• Other duties as assigned.

Attendance Requirements:

• Work schedules for employees vary throughout the agency. Supervisors will advise employees of their individual work schedules.
• Staffing needs, operational demands, and service specific protocol may necessitate variations in starting and ending times, as well as variations in the total hours and location(s) that may be scheduled each day and week.
• Supervisors have the ability, responsibility, and authority to adjust employee work schedules based upon a variety of issues pertaining to the delivery of services.
• The scheduling of staff meetings, training courses, and other meetings may necessitate variations in employee work schedules.
• Scheduling is the responsibility of the employer and will be based on the needs of the participants served by this agency.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to assess and to respond to the needs of adults.
• Understanding of community resources and knowledge of how to access services.
• Understanding of the issues and relationships with a diverse group of people and demonstrates healthy interpersonal skills, a sense of humor, adaptability, and models a positive self-concept.
• Empathy and adequate communication skills (both verbal and written) to establish trusting relationships with participants.
• Available beyond a nine to five work hour with team support and be able to identify a crisis and to respond accordingly, making necessary referrals to meet participant needs.
• Must be able to provide transportation, using own vehicle, for participants as required by the agency.
• Positive teamwork skills with other staff, participants, and other resources in the community.
• Computer skills sufficient to enter the required information concerning participants and related statistical data.
• Current, valid Montana state driver’s license and comprehensive vehicle insurance.
• Clear cps and criminal background checks.

Education/Experience:

• In Recovery with a mental illness, if has co-occurring issues, has sustained period, drug, and alcohol free.
• Positive communication skills, ability to manage own boundaries.
• Teamwork skills.