Peer Specialist
About the role
CASES is a New York City agency at the forefront of the intersection between behavioral health and involvement in the criminal justice system. Our mission is to increase public safety through innovative services that reduce crime and incarceration, improve behavioral health, promote recovery and rehabilitation, and create community success opportunities. The Behavioral Health division consists of a continuum of services for justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness. The Nathaniel Clinic is an OMH-licensed Article 31 clinic that provides outpatient mental health services to adolescents and adults, focusing on providing care to those involved in the criminal legal system. Peer Specialists play an integral role in the recovery process, and the services they provide have shown to promote positive health and recovery outcomes. The Peer Specialist is part of a multidisciplinary team working collaboratively with therapists, psychiatrists/PNPs, and nurses to assist with person-centered goal planning, collaborate with participants, and support systems to identify immediate needs and service requirements and recommend treatment objectives. They will also support participants in navigating systems within the behavioral health, human services, and criminal legal systems as needed by providing escorts and acting as advocates and liaisons.
Responsibilities
- Assist with developing person-centered goal planning
- Collaborate with participant and care management team to identify services based on individual needs and recommend treatment objectives
- Assess and provide services to participants to address housing, income support, education and vocational training, social support, employment, and primary care needs
- Assist participants with linkages and navigating systems within the behavioral health, human services, and criminal justice systems as appropriate
- Act as an advocate and liaison for participants in accessing resources to support service plan goals
- Use motivational interviewing, recovery, and trauma-informed approaches when delivering peer services
- Provide individual peer support, wellness counseling, crisis intervention and harm reduction
- Complete Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP), safety plans, and relapse prevention plans
- Conduct mobile outreach to participants to offer support and re-engage them into services
- Connect with family, significant others and support system, as identified by the participant, to promote recovery goals
- Contribute to ongoing organizational commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracist practices in delivery of services and work
- Provide culturally competent services in accordance with CASES policies and practice
- Any other duties as required by senior clinical leadership
Requirements
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Must have active Certified Recovery Peer Advocate status in good standing
- At least 18 months of work experience providing peer support to individuals with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder and criminal justice involvement
- Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use treatment services
- Individuals with previous criminal justice experience are encouraged to apply
- Proficiency with computer and electronic and health records
Preferred Skills
- Fluency in Spanish a plus
Pay & Schedule
- Salary: $55,600
- Full-time, Monday - Friday from 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Location: 424 E 147th Street, Bronx, NY 10455 (easily accessible by public transportation)
- Workplace flexibility: Flexible (for roles that have days that can be partially remote, e.g., being able to draft notes at home after going to the office/community in the morning)
Benefits
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Vacation and Paid Time Off – starting at 25 days-off annually
- 12 Paid Holidays per year
- Retirement 403b with competitive matching up to 6%
- Employee Referral Program
Our Values
At CASES, we like to move with PURPOSE, which reflects our values:
- PEOPLE | Hold people's stories with dignity
- UNITY | Commit to a shared mission
- RESPECT | Celebrate the strength of diversity
- PROGRESS | Always work to improve
- OPTIMIZE | Make the best use of resources
- SOLUTIONS | Work together to solve problems
- EMPATHY | Seek to understand others