Summary: Peer Specialist will utilize their lived experience with mental health challenges, substance use and/or other aspects of their lives to provide support, resources, and guidance to consumers. Shares their own path to recovery in order to foster a sense of trust and mutuality with the client with the goal of empowering the client to feel less isolated and provide opportunities for future goal attainment. Participate in activities related to community awareness of recovery and stigma reduction. Promote person-centered, recovery-focused, strength-based service delivery.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs.
- Helps individuals discover, access, and utilize ways to treat mental health or reduce the harm associated with their mental health challenges
- Promotes client engagement.
- Provides supports for those living with mental health challenges, including linking to resources for housing, employment/educational services, medical care, childcare, transportation and support groups.
- Promotes mental health by acting as a guide/mentor for overcoming personal and environmental obstacles that may jeopardize recovery.
- Helps individuals create a change plan for their recovery.
- Assure transportation needs are met for consumer including transporting consumers to appointments as necessary.
- Records documentation of consumer services provided in electronic health record.
- Complies with federal, state and company policies, procedures and regulations.
- Maintains confidentiality of all consumer information and comply with HIPAA and 42CFR part 2 regulations.
- Demonstrates knowledge of and supports Westbrook Health Services mission, vision, values, policies and procedures, operating instructions, confidentiality standards and code of ethical behavior.
Qualification Requirements:
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Must have relevant lived experience with mental health challenges, treatment, and recovery from mental health struggles.
- Must be able to communicate clearly and accurately with a variety of individuals.
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Must work well in a team environment.
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Ability to work well with staff, consumers, and others in a professional, cooperative, ethical, respectful, and effective manner.
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Must have no intensive behavioral health treatment involvement within the twelve (12) months prior to employment consideration; to include intensive outpatient services, crisis stabilization, residential treatment services and psychiatric hospitalization.
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Must have valid driver’s license, clean driving record and automobile insurance
Education and/or Experience: High School Diploma/GED. Lived experience with mental health challenges or a loss survivor. Must pass Criminal Investigation Background and DHHR background checks as well as post offer drug screen.
Physical Requirements: 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 While performing the responsibilities of the manager's job, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to sit and use his or her hands and fingers, to handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, or crouch. Vision abilities required for this job include close vision. Must be able to travel within catchment area. Work is typically performed in an office environment.
The professionals at Westbrook Health Services believe in promoting the well-being of individuals and families struggling with a wide range of challenges. Our staff meets the needs of over 7,000 people annually. Experienced and compassionate, we empower people to achieve wellness with the guidance of our knowledgeable and experienced staff.
Westbrook Health Services provides a comprehensive, low-cost benefits package to all full-time employees that includes medical, dental, vision, life, short and long-term disability, critical illness, accident, and pet insurance coverage options. Paid time-off, paid holidays, and paid training provide a healthy work life balance.
Westbrook provides Equal Employment Opportunity to all employees and applicants. Employment decisions are made based upon an individual’s skills and qualifications without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, disability as defined in the law, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy and related conditions, genetic information, gender identity or any status or characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Westbrook also prohibits unlawful discrimination based upon the perception of those characteristics or any association with a person who is perceived to have any of those characteristics. Discrimination based on any of these factors is totally inconsistent with our philosophy of doing business and will not be tolerated at any time.
Qualified individuals with bona fide disabilities, as the term “disability” is defined in the law, are entitled to reasonable accommodations in the application process and in their employment. Although Westbrook is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations, the responsibility for identifying whether accommodation is needed and what constitutes a reasonable accommodation is shared jointly by the employee and Westbrook.