Crisis Peer Support Specialist (3504)

Job Summary:

The Peer Specialist is a team member who self-identifies with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges. The Peer Specialist is responsible for assisting and empowering peer consumers by identifying a main concern and developing strength-based plans that includes measurable goals and objectives. This individual helps fellow peers cultivate their independence, self-confidence, and self-esteem. The Peer Specialist empowers other people with substance use/mental health symptoms to explore new options, resources, relationships, feelings, attitudes, and rights. The Peer Specialist offers their experience of recovery while working within a multidisciplinary team setting. This position involves working evenings and weekends to ensure that the clinical needs of the program are being met and to enable the program to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The individual is a mentor, educator, and advocate for consumers. The Peer Specialist reports to the Clinical Team Manager with overall program supervision by the Director. The minimum annual service hours are 676.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Journey Mental Health Center upholds a strong commitment to People, Opportunities, Community, and Access (POCA) that guides our daily operations. We foster a caring community for all individuals to feel a sense of belonging. We prioritize delivering services that are centered around ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all. We are dedicated to demonstrating courage and initiative within our agency and community to actively dismantle structural oppression for all affected communities. 

Duties/Responsibilities:

1. Work with consumers to engage in mental health/substance use treatment, including building skills around their own mental health/substance use recovery and management of symptoms.

2. Work with consumers to learn healthy coping skills & self-care.

3. Work with consumers to locate community resources such as food pantries, volunteer activities, social outlets.

4. Meet with peer consumers in their own homes, the community, at designated offices and by phone as needed to ensure continued consumer satisfaction and progress towards goals.

5. Assist peer consumer in carrying out treatment/goal plan.

6. Attend weekly supervision and consultation meetings.

7. Maintain appropriate positive, professional interpersonal relationships with staff, peers, consumers, volunteers, and other stakeholders.

8. Attend and participate in trainings as interested and required with supervisor approval.

9. Maintain professional boundaries and abide by all applicable ethical and legal standards, including confidentiality and treatment rights.

10. Support peer consumers in crisis; ensure their safety, assess for risk factors, and consult with other members of the treatment team.

Education and Experience:

Education/Licensure

ESSENTIAL

• Current certification as a Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist.
• Person with self-identified lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges.
• Strong commitment to principles of recovery and trauma informed care.
• Commitment to work toward improving cultural sensitivity and inclusion as demonstrated by valuing diversity, recognizing personal limitations and having the desire to improve.
• Self-starter who enjoys working independently.
• Ability to view consumer needs and choices as high priority.
• Ability to balance multiple job duties and remain organized.
• Experience that demonstrates strong desire to help others.
• Knowledge of federal and state laws governing the handling of confidential information.
• Ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing).
• Possession of a valid driver's license, a favorable driving record, adequate insurance (per WI law) and access to a vehicle with willingness to use it for work (i.e. transporting consumers).

PREFERRED

• Lived experience with substance abuse and/or using medication assisted treatment.
• Experience completing professional documentation.
• Computer skills (internet, email, Word).
• Knowledge or experience accessing resources, such as housing, recreational activities, medical, etc.
• Bi-lingual, and/or bi-cultural (Spanish/Hmong/Cambodian).

Physical Requirements

• Requires driving, sitting, standing, light lifting, bending, and reaching, and the ability to use and operate standard office equipment, including computer, calculator, phone, printer, cell phone, facsimile, etc.

Working Conditions

• Shared office in a clinical setting that promotes communication with colleagues.
• Staff provide part of services in the community, not limited to homes, treatment centers, and participants' place of employment.
• Staff are expected to travel throughout Dane County and transport participants when appropriate.
• The regular work week is Monday through Friday with scheduling flexibility to meet staff and program needs.
• Staff create their own schedule with consumers. Each day will look different based on specific job responsibilities and the participant’s needs.
• Accommodation is available upon request.

Population Served

• JMHC consumers have a wide array of different backgrounds and experiences. Staff is expected to be comfortable working with Individuals with the following.

1. Mental Health & Addiction Diagnosis
2. Current Substance Use
3. Criminal Backgrounds
4. Multi-cultural Identities
5. LGBTQIA+ Identities
6. Varied Levels of Engagement in Services

Hiring Process:

• All potential candidates will need to successfully pass the Background Information Disclosure (BID) for entity employees and contractors.  Wisconsin’s Caregivers Law requires background, and criminal checks are required by the Department of Health Services and Wis. Stat. 50.065(6)(c) and Wis. Admin Code § DHS 12.05(4)

Journey Mental Health Center provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.