Recovery Support Specialist (35 Hour) Office/On-Site #260805-5729HN-002

Join our dedicated team as a Recovery Support Specialist with the State of Connecticut, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).

Facility: Southeastern Mental Health Authority (SMHA)
Location: 401 West Thames Street, Unit 301, Norwich, CT
Schedule: Full-Time, 35 Hours per Week, First Shift, 8:00am - 3:30pm, Monday through Friday
Unit: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team

About the Role

• Conduct skills training and recovery-focused self-help groups to help clients promote recovery from a bio-psycho-social aspect.
• Assist in engaging clients in their own recovery journeys, community resources, and self-help groups while maintaining a safe and therapeutic milieu.
• Serve as a role model to teach recovery principles and share life experiences to demonstrate hope and opportunities for change and growth.
• Assist individuals in knowing and exercising their rights, provide rehabilitative interventions and education, and document client interactions, including progress toward goal achievement and independence.
• Help clients manage successes and challenges in their recovery journeys by providing supportive coaching and guidance in navigating community resources.
• Facilitate recovery groups for dually diagnosed individuals addressing aspects of recovery such as healthy relationships, wellness, and self-advocacy/self-worth.
• Refer clients to self-help groups such as AA or NA and other outside services as needed.
• Accompany clients to medical and other community appointments.
• Communicate care with SMHA staff in team meetings regarding clients’ recovery goals and progress.

About Us

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) promotes the overall health and wellness of persons with behavioral health needs through an integrated network of holistic, comprehensive, effective, and efficient services and supports that foster dignity, respect, and self-sufficiency.

Southeastern Mental Health Authority (SMHA) is a community mental health agency providing high-quality behavioral health services to adults (18+) in New London County and surrounding towns. Services include case management, outpatient behavioral health, crisis intervention, respite care, and forensic services, all delivered in a recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive manner.

The Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team is a multidisciplinary clinical team delivering comprehensive services to clients diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. The team provides community-based treatment, support, and rehabilitative services, with regularly scheduled team meetings to individualize client care.

Responsibilities

• Guide clients in defining personal goals for their recovery plan using evidence-based workbooks or person-centered planning tools.
• Support and guide clients in following tasks outlined in their recovery plan (e.g., employment, education, community involvement, and natural supports).
• Help clients identify and exercise their rights.
• Participate in rehabilitative and recovery-oriented interventions to meet client needs and goals.
• Provide information and support to encourage clients’ development of community networks and integration activities.
• Instruct and train clients and families in recovery management.
• Act as a peer health navigator to engage clients with co-morbid medical conditions in wellness activities.
• Support clients in securing information about wellness resources and obtaining relevant services.
• Assist clients in dealing with internal and external stress.
• Attend medical/clinical appointments with clients in a peer capacity.
• Accompany clients on volunteer opportunities and activities.
• Organize and conduct workshops on recovery and wellness topics, including new employee orientation.
• Observe and report client behavior; prepare and submit incident reports.
• Update clients’ notes in the medical record and enter computerized data as required.
• Provide outreach and transportation as needed.

In inpatient settings, responsibilities expand to include:

• Accompanying clients off the unit to practice coping and community adjustment skills.
• Accompanying clients on day passes to acclimate them to the community.
• Providing coverage at the Peer Desk Center to engage and offer peer support to the general hospital population.

Requirements

• Knowledge of community support systems and resources, person-centered planning, Wellness Recovery Action Planning, and other recovery management techniques.
• Understanding of the principles and procedures of psychiatric rehabilitation.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability to observe and redirect client behavior.
• Proficiency in utilizing computer software.

Benefits

• Professional growth and development opportunities.
• A healthy work/life balance.

A comprehensive medical examination, including a drug screening, will be required upon a conditional offer of employment. All state employees must adhere to Connecticut's Policy for a Drug-Free Workplace.