Peer Support Specialist * Full Time * Community Based Mental Health 355

PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST

This is someone who has LIVED EXPERIENCE. Meaning that you have a personal history that makes you a peer. We are looking for someone to use their own story of recovery to help empower others through their recovery story.Can be lived experience with mental health, or substance use recovery, or history of justice involvement.

Must have a car. Willing to use it for work.

Founded in 1965, Telecare is a rapidly growing mental health care company dedicated to making a difference for our clients, the community, and our employees. We offer an array of mental health services to adults with serious mental illness. We partner with public sector entities and behavioral health organizations and have over 130 programs and over 4,000 employees across the country. And we 're growing all the time! When you work at Telecare, you help to empower thousands of individuals every day in their journeys of recovery.

Telecare is proud to have been recognized by The Bay Area Business Times as the 9thBest Place To Work In the Bay Area for 2020! This is the 18th time we have made the list!

Who We Serve:

• Alameda County residents, ages 18 years and older, who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness
• Currently require or are likely to require public assistance, ongoing mental health services, and/or entitlements
• Have had contact with the criminal justice system
• Have been approved for assignment by ACCESS
• Are eligible for payment of services through the County Mental Health Plan

Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

About the Program: At the Justice and Mental Health Recovery (JAMHR) program, our goal is to give you the tools and guidance to successfully integrate you back into your community.

We know that the journey to recovery can be a tough one, and we believe that no one should have to go through it alone. We have a full staff of peer specialists, case managers, clinicians, psychiatric nurses and prescribers, a vocational support specialist, and a substance use specialist who are all here to help you on your path.

Our program is based on the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model and we provide wraparound supports and connect you to additional resources that can help you achieve your goals. Your family, friends, the justice system, healthcare providers, and anyone else you choose to be in your support network will work together to assist you in your recovery journey.

Employment Status: Full-Time

Days:Monday - Friday

POSITION SUMMARY

Peer Support Specialists engage, inspire, and facilitate meaningful conversations with members served that assist the person to explore, create, and meet their own recovery goals. Peer Support Specialists provide consultation to the team to promote and reinforce Telecare’s Recovery Culture as defined by the Telecare Recovery Centered Clinical System (RCCS), in which each member’s point of view and preferences are recognized, understood, respected, and integrated into services and self-help programming. Additionally, Peer Support Specialists respond to critical situations with high level engagement and de-escalation skills which support a least restrictive environment for individuals experiencing an emergency related to a mental health/addiction challenge.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• High School Diploma or GED required
• Successful completion of Peer Support Training / Certified Peer Specialist or Peer Employment Training within one (1) year of hire
• Experience as a beneficiary of the Behavioral Health system of care
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be CPR, Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), and First Aid certified on date of employment or within 60 days of employment and maintain current certification throughout employment
• All opportunities at Telecare are contingent upon successful completion and receipt of acceptable results of the applicable post-offer physical examination, 2-step PPD test for tuberculosis, acceptable criminal background clearances, excluded party sanctions, and degree or license verification. Position requires driving, valid driver’s license, a motor vehicle clearance, and proof of auto insurance is required at time of employment and must be maintained throughout employment. Additional regulatory, contractual, or local requirements may apply.

Preferred:

• Bilingual a plus
• Bicultural background/experience preferred

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Demonstrates the Telecare mission, purpose, values, and beliefs in everyday language and contact with internal and external stakeholders
• Draws upon own personal recovery experience with mental health/addiction challenges as a basis for engagement with members as a peer, and to validate members’ own lived experiences
• Assists members with voicing their strengths, interests and goals throughout their services including: goal plans, crisis plans and other methods of expressing individual preferences
• Utilizes a comprehensive resource guide and educates members served about local community supports and resources
• Supports members served in developing strategies to reduce self-stigma
• Engages and communicates with a wide range of members served especially those who are struggling to be active in their own recovery
• Assists members served in all needs including Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
• Actively participates in multidisciplinary team meetings
• Participates in verbal de-escalation and physical interventions in emergent situations and is willing and able to assist other staff as needed to maintain a safe, healing environment for all
• Travels locally to provide outreach to members served in the community (program specific)
• Must evade members served in the event of assaultive behavior and pass assault crisis/crisis prevention training

Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted and/or changed at the discretion of management.

Position requires transporting Members in own personal vehicle and driving for company business such as trainings, offsite meetings, etc. (acceptable driving record and vehicle inspection for safety)

SKILLS

• Knowledge of and ability to use public transportation
• Knowledge of the mental illness process
• Knowledge of recovery focused, strengths based work in mental health/addiction recovery
• Willing to understand each member’s unique circumstances, personal preferences, and goals and incorporate them into daily work as well as any needed crisis response to help the member regain a sense of control
• Strong understanding of recovery and resilience, the value of partnerships with members and member choice, and the balance between protection from harm and personal dignity
• Strong knowledge of relevant community resources and methods for accessing them
• Strong communication, writing, and typing/computer skills

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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

The employee is occasionally required to stand, twist, squat, kneel and lift and carry items weighing 25 pounds or less as well as to frequently sit, walk, reach, bend and do simple and firm grasping. The position requires manual deviation, repetition and dexterity.

EOE AA M/F/V/Disability

Equal Opportunity Employer Description
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
Pay Transparency Policy Statement
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)