Peer/Family Advocate Lead

Responsibilities

• Works individually with patients in both an inpatient psychiatric setting under the direction of clinical staff.
• Empowers individuals who receive mental health (MH), substance use disorder (SUD), and/or co-occurring disorder (COD) services to regain personal control over their lives and over their own recovery process.
• Provides services that empower individuals who receive mental health (MH), substance use disorder (SUD), and/or co-occurring disorder (COD) services to regain personal control over their lives and over their own recovery process.
• Provides a role model for patients and helps them to learn to engage in recovery-oriented activities and integrate into the community.
• Takes on orientation and onboarding of new peer bridger staff, assists or completes independently the peer bridger referral tracker, develops the peer newsletter for inpatient units, participates in the interviewing and hiring process, trains and provides supervision to peer interns, and other lead responsibilities listed below.

Essential Functions

• Aids patients in identifying and practicing individualized skills to deal with their MH/SUD/COD symptoms.
• Builts rapport and trust with patients.
• Engages patients by building rapport and trust.
• Interacts with patients as a peer and shares common experiences.
• Aids patients in identifying and developing specific, individual coping strategies.
• Aids patients in developing a crisis plan and crisis management skills.
• Facilitates the establishment of peer support networks, natural supports, and social support systems (which may include attending with and transporting patients to self-help meetings and other supportive recovery activities using fleet vehicles) upon discharge from inpatient units.
• Aids patients in developing assertiveness and communications skills in order to facilitate their active participation in the recovery process.
• Aids patients in carrying out tasks to help them achieve identified goals.
• Teaches patients skills in daily living, learning, working, socializing, recreating, parenting, and/or other skills that are relevant to the individual's recovery goals.
• Aids patients with reintegration into the community upon discharge and provides supportive peer related services and outreach for up to 90 days and ensures continuity of care and linkage to next level of care.
• Teaches patients how to negotiate bureaucracies and service systems.
• Provides entitlement information and teaches patients how to advocate for themselves in obtaining entitlements.
• Aids patients in identifying and learning how to exercise their rights.
• Provides education and training on patient issues and perspectives to mental health and generic human services providers.
• Facilitates orientation and onboarding for new peer bridger staff, peer bridger referral tracker, newsletter, interviewing, takes an active role in assisting the supervisor with tasks related to the fleet vehicles.
• Aids the supervisor with any OMH grant tracking needs.
• Facilitates monthly group supervision and documentation of meeting notes.
• Engages in relationship building and management with community and governmental partners as needed to further the reach and impact of peer support services and programming.
• Oversight of peer bridger support scheduling and schedules.
• Provides and supports ongoing education and training.
• Edits program participants and staff about various modes of recovery.
• Actively pursues development of professional competencies related to job role performance through reading, supervision, in-service training and attendance at conferences and workshops.
• Aids the supervisor by providing case consultation, education, and direct observation and provision of service delivery to achieve program objectives.
• Aids in interviewing, hiring, evaluating, training, and monitoring to ensure quality services.
• Collaborates with the clinical supervisor to provide effective clinical supervision to peers.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• Direct personal experience overcoming the challenges and recovering from mental illness or substance use disorder required.
• Two years of experience as a Peer Advocate preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of and ability to mentor others diagnosed and recovering from a mental illness and with navigating mental health services and community resources required.
• Availability to work a flexible work schedule including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Effective communication and teaching skills.
• The ability to empathize with patients and their support systems required.

License and Certifications

• New York Certified Peer Specialist upon hire required.
• Driver License, Valid and in State (New York State) with a satisfactory driving record upon hire required.