Peer Family Advocate

Responsibilities

• Works in the community and in the Inpatient setting in collaboration with an interdisciplinary clinical leadership team.
• Focuses on providing linkage to services that engage, support, and empower patients and families when discharged from inpatient care with a mental health challenge.
• Serves as a role model during and after treatment and throughout the recovery process.
• Engages patients/families by actively listening, building rapport, and trust through the facilitation of self-help groups and activities, establishing peer networks, and natural and social support systems.
• Effectively communicates with patients as a peer and shares common experiences to benefit patient growth.
• Models and teaches self-help techniques including but not limited to assisting clients with identifying their individual warning signs of relapse and developing coping strategies.
• Aids patients in managing crisis on the unit and processes crisis management skills, reviewing the crisis plan as needed and utilizing it in the community and directing to natural supports.
• Assists patients in exploring and understanding their psychiatric symptoms and helps identify areas requiring support.
• Teaches patients about their rights and teaches skills to advocate for the needs of people with psychiatric disabilities within the mental health and human services delivery systems.
• May assist in the development of a patient safety plan and promptly reports any lethality concerns to the clinical team.
• Teaches patients daily living skills, learning, working, socializing, recreating, parenting, and other skills relevant to their rehabilitation goals in both individual and group settings.
• Has latitude to facilitate group services.
• Provides short-term intervention to families that includes emotional support, relevant information, education resources, and access to comfort measures while supporting the patient.
• Aids patients/families in navigating treatment and recovery processes, communicating with treatment and recovery staff, and identifying and effectively communicating concerns.
• Maintains current knowledge and supports the policies and procedures of community resources, assists families with identifying their needs and provides or connects them with appropriate community resources, and advocates.
• Works collaboratively as a member of the interdisciplinary leadership team and participates in treatment planning.
• Models ICARE Values, supports diversity and inclusion strategies, and approaches that reduce stigma, engages patients, and promotes patient-driven decision-making.
• Collaborates with clinical leadership team to provide referrals and connections to those resources.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Experience with population supported (i.e., overcoming the challenges and recovering from mental illness) or experience as a parent or primary caregiver of a child with emotional or behavioral health challenges required.
• Two years of experience as a Peer Advocate preferred or equivalent combination of experience and education required.

Qualifications

• Availability to work a flexible work schedule including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Effective communication and teaching skills.
• The ability to empathize with families and/or support systems.

Skills

• Certified Peer Specialist.
• Provisional or Certified Family Peer Advocate Provisional certification required.
• Driver’s license, and satisfactory driving record required.

Benefits

Individual annual salaries/hourly rates will be set within the job's compensation range, and will be determined by considering factors including, but not limited to, market data, education, experience, qualifications, expertise of the individual, and internal equity considerations.