Peer Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Peer Specialist :

Are you looking to join a dynamic team focused on providing high quality health care to communities across Brooklyn & Queens? If so, you’ve come to the right place. For over 125 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, and those struggling with mental illness. Catholic Charities provides comprehensive care coordination and treatment services to individuals living with serious mental illness, complex medical needs and substance use needs. Our Queens ACT team provides an integrated set of evidence-based treatment, rehabilitation, case management, and support services delivered by a mobile, multidisciplinary mental health treatment team. ACT supports client recovery through a highly individualized approach that provides clients with the tools to obtain and maintain housing, employment, relationships and relief from symptoms and medication side effects. The Peer Specialist is part of this multi-disciplinary team and is responsible for delivering intensive in-home and community-based services to individuals living with severe mental illness, whom have a treatment history characterized by frequent use of psychiatric hospitalization and emergency rooms, involvement with the criminal justice system, alcohol / substance abuse, and lack of engagement in traditional outpatient services.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The Peer Specialist will play a vital role in outreach and engagement of clients on the ACT team. The Peer Specialist will used personal lived experience as a service recipient to serve as a role model, educate clients about self-help techniques and self-help group processes, teach effective coping strategies and symptom monument skills, help clients develop daily living skills, assist in clarifying rehabilitation and recovery goals, and assist in the development of community support systems and networks. The Peer Specialist engages clients in peer-based services to identify and overcome barriers to community integration, utilizing a peer relationship to foster connection, trust, understanding and validation with community providers and supports. The Peer Specialist will collaborate with ACT team members to ensure clients become both linked and engaged with identified community providers and that their support network is sufficient to meet their needs. Duties of the Peer Specialist include, but are not limited to :

• Responsible for providing direct treatment and support services to clients with psychiatric diagnoses, co-occurring substance use, chronic physical health problems and complex social needs. Includes weekly visits to clients.
• Assess and provide direct services to participants in the following areas : health and wellness, housing, income support, education, vocational training, employment and social supports, medication support.
• Provide intensive emotional and practical support to clients, especially when clients are transitioning between settings or from hospital to community.
• Conduct home visits as assigned- Individual sessions with clients emphasizing prevention and preparing for independent community living and the promotion of optimum mental and emotional health. May require helping clients deal with issues associated with but not limited to family and social relationships; stress and symptom management; activities of daily living; medication management; and housing readiness.
• Assist and instruct clients in attending to daily living skills such as personal hygiene, grooming and laundry, nutrition / meal preparation, budgeting, and socialization tasks.
• Community navigation including accompanying to first behavioral health and medical appointment, travel training, reengagement in community care, referral to services with ability to identify and address potential services and barriers to obtain and maintain such services.
• Make visits to hospitalized clients to coordinate care. Provide advocacy for hospitalized clients.
• Assist in client wellness self-management groups, consumer advisory board meetings and other activities and groups focused on education, health, wellness, smoking cessation and recovery.
• Develop short-term person-centered treatment plans to assist clients towards achieving their goals.

The Peer Specialist is required to utilize technology and various web-based platforms for documenting progress notes and daily work activities. Ability to use equipment such as iPhones, tablets, Surface Pros and easily navigate various technology platforms and reporting systems is a requirement. The role will also require on-call after hour crisis intervention services when needed to client and their support network, including respite referrals and other diversion and stabilization services.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR EDUCATION / CERTIFICATIONS / LICENSES

SPECIFICATIONS FOR EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

We offer competitive Salary and excellent benefits including generous time off, Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement Savings with Agency Match, Transit, life insurance and other additional voluntary benefits. EOE / AA.

For more information on our organization, please visit our website at :

www.ccbq.org

Company Description

For over 125 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, and those struggling with mental illness.

Company Description

For over 125 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, and those struggling with mental illness.