Job Details

The Peer Specialist will help engage and support clients enrolled in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) program. This position will assist clients with a dual diagnosis of Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in their recovery. This position will be responsible for facilitating the National Outcome Measures (NOMS) reassessments in accordance with federal requirements and timelines as well as participate in team meetings to review client care and relay any concerns the clients may have expressed. The Peer Specialist will report directly to the CCBHC Project Manager and will work closely with the Program Director, Client Navigator, and Clinicians to ensure clients are fully engaged in their treatment and feel supported throughout the process.

• Provide peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to validate clients' experiences and to provide guidance and encouragement to clients to take responsibility and actively participate in their own recovery with a focus on substance use.
• Provide expertise and consultation from a mental health/substance use consumer perspective to the entire team concerning clients' experiences on symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side-effects of medications, clients' responses to and opinions of treatment and clients' experiences of recovery.
• Collaborate with the team to promote a team culture in which each clients' point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, and in which client self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning are maximized and supported.
• Help clients identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
• Collaborate with the team to ensure the protection of clients' rights in order to help clients to improve their knowledge of client rights and grievance or complaint procedures.
• Increase awareness of and support client participation in consumer self-help programs and consumer advocacy organizations that promote recovery.

Required Skills

• May have related training (e.g., certified occupational therapy assistant, home health care aide) or work experience (e.g., teaching) and life experience.
• Trained or willing to be trained in Motivational Interviewing techniques.
• Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe mental illness and substance use disorder to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services.
• Valid driver's license and access to personal vehicle required.
• Bilingual skills and/or experience with multicultural populations preferred

Required Experience

• Experience with recovery from psychiatric disabilities required
• 1-2 years' experience working with others in emotional distress and/or with substance use disorders preferred
• High School Diploma required
• Certification as a Peer Specialist strongly preferred

Aspire Health Alliance is committed to and passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We celebrate, support and promote diversity of thought, culture, and backgrounds. As an employer committed to equal opportunity, we base all employment decisions on each individual's capabilities and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetics, or any other protected characteristic. Aspire Health Alliance strives to fully reflect the clients and communities we serve and believes that a diversity of interests and cultures leads to a stronger and more innovative organization.

Qualifications:

• May have related training (e.g., certified occupational therapy assistant, home health care aide) or work experience (e.g., teaching) and life experience.
• Trained or willing to be trained in Motivational Interviewing techniques.
• Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe mental illness and substance use disorder to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services.
• Valid driver's license and access to personal vehicle required.
• Bilingual skills and/or experience with multicultural populations preferred