Peer Support Worker / Specialist

McKinley Community Services, Inc.; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinley Community Services, Inc. is seeking a Peer Support Specialist to provide emotional support, advocacy, and role-modeling for individuals in crisis. You will promote engagement with community supports and help clients navigate behavioral health systems.

The role requires working on-site and includes coordinating with the crisis continuum of care team to empower recovery and self-advocacy while connecting clients to resources and services in the community.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; CRSS certification within 1 year preferred.
• Minimum 2–4 years in nonprofit, community mental health, human services, or related field.
• Must be 21+ and hold a valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional support and advocacy for clients in crisis.
• Assist clients with symptom management and recovery through wellness modeling.
• Promote engagement with community supports and self-advocacy.
• Serve as a bridge between clients and clinical staff; collaborate with crisis team.

Skills

Community resources expertise

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

High-stress handling

Organization

Documentation

Emotional resilience

Education

High School Diploma or GED

CRSS certification within 1 year

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Basic Function: The Peer Support Specialist will provide emotional support and empathy, advocate for least restrictive environment, help individuals deescalate themselves, promote engagement with community supports, serve as a role model, hope-filled engagement and support to individuals in crisis, assist individuals in advocating for their choices, needs, and rights, serve as a bridge between individuals and clinical staff, and provide resources and guidance to help individuals navigate behavioral health and community support systems.

This position requires work on-site and off-site in the community. This position is open to daytime (8am - 4pm) evening (4pm - 12am), nights (12am - 8am) and weekends. This is not a hybrid position.

Reporting Relationship

Reports To: Crisis Continuum of Care Manager

• Ability to self-transport within the community within 60 minutes of receiving a crisis call. The Peer Support Specialist will work collaboratively with the members of the crisis team.
• Assist clients with symptom management and recovery by modeling wellness, personal responsibility, self-advocacy, and hopefulness through the sharing of his or her story, in the process role modeling how the needs of individuals can be met.
• Provide guidance and encouragement to clients to actively participate in their own recovery. Teach clients self-advocacy skills.
• Promote personal growth and development with mental health issues.
• Assist, teach, and support clients regarding activities of daily living, vocational skills, housing access, maintaining financial support, and building support networks.
• Provide side-by-side support, coaching and encouragement to help clients socialize and carry out leisure-time activities in the evenings, weekends, and holidays. Organize and lead individual and group social and recreational activities and provide other opportunities to practice social skills.
• Link clients to other external sources of help when needed.
• Assist clients in identifying with other consumers who have done well in recovery.
• When appropriate, share with clients his/her own experiences with mental illness and recovery.
• Attend and participate in team meetings and supervision meetings.

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of all client interactions and support activities.
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Excel in a professional environment is needed

Specifications

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Has individual lived experience, or experience as a caregiver of a child, with behavioral health needs.
• Minimum of 2-4 years of experience working in nonprofit organizations, community mental health, human services, social services, or a related field.
• Must obtain CRSS certification within 1 year of hire.
• Must be at least 21years of age and hold a valid Driver’s License.

Special Knowledge and Qualifications

• Strong understanding of community resources and social services.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to work within agency structure, accept supervision, and participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team, when applicable Ability to handle high-stress situations with professionalism and composure.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Firm understanding and ability to document all client interactions.
• Comfortability working in an emotionally charged environment.
• Final candidates will be required to complete and successfully pass a background check prior to hire

Mental/Physical Demands: Ability to conceptualize and solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Environmental Conditions: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Duties are performed in a typical office environment. No unusual or adverse working conditions exist.

This description documents the general contents and requirements of the job. It is not to be construed as an exhausted statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. The principal duties and responsibilities shown are all essential job functions except for those indicated with an asterisk (*). The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education

Required

High School or better.

Experience

Required

Has individual lived experience, or experience as a caregiver of a child, with behavioral health needs. Minimum of 2-4 years of experience working in nonprofit organizations, community mental health, human services, social services, or a related field.

Licenses & Certifications

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.