Peer Counselor - Part Time

About the role

Lifeline Connections is a community-based behavioral health organization that specializes in providing confidential and compassionate care to individuals who experience substance use and/or mental health conditions. Our Vision is to be the premier provider of substance use and mental health services in the Pacific Northwest, respected and the most trusted resource for behavioral health treatment and whole-person care. We provide a comprehensive continuum of coordinated quality services, foster enduring relationships, and empower our communities to truly thrive.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team and attend regular team meetings and consultations as relevant to the program
• Organize and schedule work time to complete assignments and all related paperwork in a timely manner and according to program standards
• Attend required program and agency trainings
• Attend supervision on a regular basis as scheduled
• Accept direction and carry out self-care methods to stay healthy
• Act as an interpreter to help clinical team members better understand and empathize with each client’s unique and subjective experiences and perceptions
• Provide expertise and consultation from a mental health consumer perspective to the entire team concerning clients’ experiences of symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side effects of medications, clients’ responses to opinions of treatment, and clients’ experience of recovery
• Collaborate with the team to promote a team culture in which each client’s 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
• Help other team members identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness and develop strategies to eliminate stigma within the team
• Help clients develop interests and personal identity outside of the mental health system
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• High school diploma required
• Two years of paid or volunteer work experience with youth and/or adults with mental illness is highly desired
• Completed Peer Certification Training with proof of completion is required
• Must have good oral and written communication skills
• The Peer Counselor, who is or has been a recipient of mental health services for severe and persistent mental illness or severe emotional disturbance, should have the self-knowledge needed to manage their mental illness and be well along in their recovery
• Must have a strong commitment to the right and ability of each person with a severe mental illness to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services
• Demonstrated ability to provide culturally competent treatment services to diverse client populations and maintain a cooperative working relationship with others in a culturally diverse environment
• Able to demonstrate initiative and success in providing client-centered interaction, solution-based approaches to learning, motivation techniques, and positive reinforcement skills
• Able to demonstrate patience, creative thinking, good decision-making skills, and a willingness to assist clients with achieving treatment plan goals
• Able to demonstrate the ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries while teaching necessary living skills to clients
• Demonstrated ability to be organized and keep accurate and timely records
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a positive team player
• Demonstrated good time management skills
• Valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and ability to transport clients in personal vehicle

Guidelines

• The position requires that the incumbent maintain certification or qualification standards delineated in WAC 246-341, or its successor, and maintain licensure with the Department of Health
• The incumbent relies on specialized training and/or equivalent experience in the field of behavioral health treatment, DBHR, WACs and RCWs of Washington, CARF standards, and the performance standards developed for the position

Complexity

The incumbent provides community-based services to patients who differ widely in age and socioeconomic status and who may possess a variety of chronic and serious social, behavioral, and psychological problems. Strong clinical skills, sound judgment, and creativity are required to help implement and deliver treatment services that meet the complex needs of the patients.

Personal Contacts

• Contacts are with members of the treatment team, clients, significant others and supports of the clients, representatives of various community agencies specializing in the treatment of substance use and mental health conditions, and related community representatives including hospital personnel, lawyers, probation officers, and other court officials

Physical Demands

• While performing the essential functions of the job, the employee is regularly required to sit, speak clearly, hear, and use hands and fingers to manipulate writing utensils and keys on a keyboard
• The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands or arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or lift and/or move a maximum of 15 lbs

Working Environment

• Working hours are spent indoors in offices or other meeting rooms or in the community meeting with patients in their homes, schools, or places of work
• Supervision of outdoor activities, visits to community agencies, and participation in staff retreats and staff development activities will be required