Youth Peer Support Specialist-Part Time (Union) 26-54

Union position located at all sites, with flexible hours up to 24 hours per week. Compensation range: $17.13/HR - $20.28/HR. Position starts as soon as possible.

About the Role

The Youth Peer Support Specialist (YPSS) acts as a support and resource for youth with serious emotional disturbances (SED) receiving services in the behavioral health system. The YPSS serves as a key member of the treatment team, working with youth one-on-one or in groups to support goal achievement through shared activities and interventions. YPSSs empower youth by assisting in skill development to improve overall functioning and quality of life, collaborating with others involved in the youth’s care.

Responsibilities

• Teach and role model the value of every individual's recovery experience.
• Assist individuals in articulating personal goals for recovery and determining objectives to reach those goals.
• Attend staff meetings to provide information and training on Recovery and Peer Support.
• Assist individuals in setting up and sustaining self-help (mutual support) groups.
• Assist individuals in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).
• Develop and implement groups to enhance Recovery for persons served.
• Utilize and teach problem-solving techniques with individuals and groups.
• Support vocational choices and assist in overcoming job-related anxiety.
• Assist individuals in building social skills to enhance job acquisition and tenure.
• Assist staff in identifying program environments conducive to recovery.
• Attend treatment team meetings to promote self-directed recovery skills.
• Model effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.
• Attend relevant seminars, meetings, and in-service trainings.
• Provide trainings to professional staff and the community on recovery and peer supports.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Must actively pursue DCH certification as a Peer Support Specialist within one year of employment.
• DCH Group Home Certification required within the first three months of employment.
• Must be a young adult, ages 18 through 28, who received mental health services as a youth.
• Experience receiving services as a youth in complex, child-serving systems preferred (Behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, special education).
• Must demonstrate a level of recovery to function as a consistent and stabilizing influence for individuals served.
• Valid Chauffeur’s License.
• Trained in the MDHHS-approved curriculum and ongoing training model.

Skills

• Initiative/Organization/Reasoning: Takes initiative, plans and organizes work activities efficiently, and resolves problems early.
• Ethics/Teamwork: Treats all people with dignity and respect, works cooperatively as part of a team, and acknowledges coworkers' contributions.
• Emotional Intelligence: Communicates constructively and effectively, listens to others' ideas, and understands the impact of work on the team.
• Language Skills: Ability to read, interpret, and write routine reports and correspondence; speak effectively before groups.
• Mathematical Skills: Basic ability to compute rates, ratios, and percentages; interpret bar graphs.
• Computer Skills: Knowledge of word processing software; typing speed of 45 wpm recommended.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense to carry out instructions and deal with standardized problems involving concrete variables.

Physical Demands

• Frequently required to sit, stand, walk, reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds as needed.
• Specific vision abilities include close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Frequent use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.

Work Environment

• Work environment includes program sites, agency activities, vehicles, and the community at large.
• Frequent exposure to machinery, vehicles, and occasional exposure to wet/humid conditions, outside weather, and universal precautions.
• Occasional risk from body fluids or client actions; noise level is quiet to moderate.
• Year-round driving with or without consumers in the vehicle may be required.