ACT Certified Peer Specialist

The Peer Specialist will provide support services and serve as a consumer advocate for the identified adult clients experiencing severe and persistent mental illness. Acts as a liaison with community resources; carries out rehabilitation and support functions. Also, provides education, support, consultation, and crisis intervention to the client under clinical supervision.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer to validate clients’ experiences and to provide guidance and encouragement to clients to take responsibility and actively participate in their own recovery.
• Serve as a mentor to clients to promote hope and empowerment.
• Act as an interpreter to help non-mental health consumer team members better understand and empathize with each client’s unique and subjective experience and perceptions.
• Provide expertise and consultation from a mental health consumer perspective to the entire team concerning clients’ experiences on symptoms of mental illness, the effects and side-effects of medications, clients’ responses to and opinions of treatment, and clients’ experiences of recovery.
• Collaborate with the team to promote a team culture in which each clients’ point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood, and respected, and in which client self-determination and decision-making in treatment planning are maximized and supported.
• Help clients identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and develop strategies to reduce self-stigma.
• Document client progress in the client records as indicated.
• Help other team members identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness and develop strategies to eliminate stigma within the team.
• Collaborate with the team to ensure the protection of clients’ rights in order to help clients improve their knowledge of client rights and grievance or complaint procedures.
• Collaborate with the team to help clients learn about pertinent grievance procedures and support clients with filing, mediating, and resolving complaints.
• Increase awareness of and support client participation in consumer self-help programs and consumer advocacy organizations that promote recovery.
• Serve as a liaison between the team and consumer-run programs such as self-help groups and drop-in centers.
• Safely and effectively transport clients to various destinations in the community.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Is sensitive and responsive to the management needs such as data collection and program evaluation.
• Recruitment and training of community workers as necessary and/or required.
• Ability to travel as required.
• Performs other work-related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED PHYSICAL ABILITIES

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear.
• The employee frequently is required to travel to all ElevaCare facilities in the catchment area, ambulate within and between departments; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. 
• The employee is occasionally required to sit and climb or balance. 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.      
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

REQUIRED COMMUNICATION/MATHEMATICAL/REASONING SKILLS

• Must possess the required level of skills and abilities to read, write, speak, and apply mathematical concepts and sound reasoning to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this job.
• Must be able to perform basic operations on a computer within the Windows operating system.
• This position requires problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, and the ability to multi-task.

RESPONSIBILITIES, EXPECTATIONS & STANDARDS

• Commitment to the daily application of ElevaCare’s mission, to serve patients, their families and our community.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Work effectively in a team environment, coordinating work flow with other team members and ensuring a productive and efficient environment.
• Comply with safety principles, laws, regulations and standards associated with all applicable governing bodies.

WORK ENVIRONMENT  

• May be exposed to communicable diseases when working in a health care environment.
• The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and outside weather conditions. 
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.    

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• May have a college degree in a human services field, or in another area, have a high school diploma, or have at least two years paid or volunteer work experience with adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
• Must have good oral and written communication.
• Self-knowledge to manage their mental illness and be well along in their recovery.
• A strong commitment to the right and the ability of each person with a severe mental illness to live in normal community residences; work in market jobs; and have access to helpful, adequate, competent, and continuous supports and services.
• Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses and respect for the clients’ rights and personal preferences in treatment.
• A valid driver’s license for the state in which the program operates or effectively uses transportation to travel independently in the program’s service area.
• Peer Specialist Certification Training provided by the State of MN. (training can be completed after hire)

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

The individual must be able to work the hours specified above. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required to perform the essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions, so long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.

This job description is intended to describe the general requirements for the performance of this job.  It is not an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements.