Position Summary:

Peer Support Services are a process of giving and receiving support and education from individuals with shared life experiences. Peer Services are provided by individuals in recovery from substance use, mental health and co-occurring disorders who use their lived experience as a tool to assist others by sharing their personal journeys and knowledge gained. Individuals engaged in peer services play a vital role in laying the foundation for sustained recovery.

Peer Support Services provide strength-based supports for persons in or seeking recovery from behavioral health-related issues. The service offers a type of partnership where the person in or seeking recovery self directs his/her care while the Support Specialist provides expertise in supporting successful change. The Support Specialist focuses on achieving any goals important to the individual and asks questions and offers suggestions to help the person begin to take the lead in addressing their own needs. The practice focuses on honoring values and making principle-based decisions, creating a clear plan of action, and using current strengths to reach future goals. The Specialist serves as an accountability partner to help the person sustain his or her recovery and helps to access the systems needed to support the individual, such as disability benefits, health care, housing, etc

Essential Job Functions:

Encourages, Inspires and empowers to reach treatment goals Coordinates & facilitates psychoeducational peer groups related to removing environmental obstacles and improving healthy life skills and social connectedness including teaching relaxation and mindfulness strategies Works as part of a collaborative health team and participate in Care Team Meetings Assists individuals in developing strategies to communicate with and advocate for themselves to adopt a proactive role in their own behavioral and physical health Instructs about services provided to help them (e.g., availability of peer services, benefits, advanced directives, living will opportunities, clients rights process) Mentors in the recovery process (e.g., reassures to the reality of recovery, assists with increasing personal empowerment, helps set & achieve goals) Provides information & assists with applying for supplemental programs such as housing Assists persons with completing forms; develops services & supports to identify service & support gaps for individuals with mental health or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders; participates on treatment teams with persons consent; Collaborates to assist with intake/discharge planning (e.g., conducts intake & discharge surveys, facilitates exit interviews) Monitors satisfaction Completes and submit documentation as determined by the Director of Peer Services Provides support and encouragement to family members Meet individuals where they are in the community and transport individuals to appointments as needed Embraces and embody the mission, vision, guiding principles, clinical vision and goals of WestCare Foundation; and Performs all other duties as assigned