Peer Support Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Harbor is seeking a Peer Support Specialist to join the Port Sylvania team! This position delivers professional care in the appropriate setting to patients and potentially their families who are experiencing a severe and persistent mental illness.

Position is full-time, 1st shift, 11:30AM - 8:00PM.

Education/Experience/Other Requirements:

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Present and/or past experience as a mental health client with a serious mental illness.
• Must obtain Ohio Peer Supporter Certification within 60 days of hire.
• Must possess the skills necessary to help clients achieve and maintain their highest level of functioning by striving for successful community living.
• Must have the ability to offer a unique perspective of serious mental illness because of his/her own experience of the process of recovering from a psychiatric disorder.
• Must be proficient and accurate in computer use, including Microsoft Word.
• Must be at least 23 years of age, must have a valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and show proof of personal auto insurance policy to be deemed insurable with Harbor’s vehicle insurance carrier. For Connection Center Peer Support: Must remain up-to-date on annual Defensive Driving for 15-Passenger Vans training requirement.
• Certified Peer Supporters must maintain current continuing education and requirements for renewal for their certificate. CPR/First Aid and NCI/CPI Certifications required within 90 days of employment.
• Must successfully demonstrate the basic competencies for CPST services, as determined by your supervisor’s review, within 90 days of hire.

Essential Job Competencies/Primary Duties:

1. Uses experiences with personal recovery in assisting and supporting clients on an ongoing basis.
2. Assists treatment team in the assessment and therapeutic engagement of clients residing in the community and in the hospital.
3. Assists clients in identifying, using, and accessing family, neighborhood, community support services, and achieving community integration.
4. Assists team, clients, and staff members in completing documentation necessary to determine eligibility for community resources.
5. Follows crisis prevention/intervention protocols.
6. Assists in the teaching of daily living skills. This includes teaching and assistance in medically necessary services such as riding/utilizing public transportation, maintaining appointments, exploring education and employment opportunities, etc., when such are challenging or made impossible due to the interference of the client’s psychiatric symptoms.
7. Acts as advocate for client to secure needed services.
8. Transports or accompanies clients to appointments, meetings, and entitlement programs (Medicaid, Housing, Disability, etc.) as medically necessary.
9. Assists other providers to help ensure clients maintain financial entitlements, representative payee services, and linkage to appropriate vocational resources.

ONGOING INTERVENTIONS

1. Provides support, education and consultation to clients, families, and/or significant others.
2. Provides therapeutic interventions as noted in the ISP to maintain the client in the least-restrictive environment and to enhance client and family functioning.
3. Monitors clients to identify and minimize effects of psychiatric symptoms.
4. Provides education on self-management of symptoms to clients, families and/or significant others.
5. Assures appropriate communication with team leader and team members responding to client calls and requests.
6. Assists in clients acquisition of social and recreational skills.

COLLABORATION

1. Assists the client and family in increasing social support skills and networks.
2. Coordinates indicated evaluations and assessments by internal and/or external providers as appropriate to the position.
3. Coordinates and monitors all services identified in the ISP as appropriate to the position.
4. Provides assistance in gaining access to essential community resources. Locates and/or establishes self-help and support groups for clients, families, and/or significant others.

SPECIAL WORK CONDITIONS

1. Maintains client confidentiality and adherence to HIPAA requirements.
2. Participates in required agency and departmental meetings and staff trainings.
3. Peer Support Specialist is required to work closely and cooperatively with a variety of service providers in the community as well as within Harbor.
4. Ability to provide culturally competent services. Capacity to seek consultation and supervision, when complexity of situation is greater than employee’s knowledge base.
5. Peer Support Specialist is a highly visible position within the community and in the agency. The person in this position must have solid knowledge of agency services and must know how to secure services if not available in the agency. This person must subscribe to Harbor’s mission and values. Competency regarding cultural/sociological/racial issues is essential.
6. Peer Support Specialist requires working with individuals with severe mental illness in their natural environment. The position is community based and may require travel within the community.
7. Types clinical documentation in the format appropriate and acceptable to Harbor.
8. May provide billable services and may have to fulfill or exceed unit expectations established by Harbor.
9. Keeps current with trends and developments related to essential job competencies and demonstrates continued growth.

Additional Community Psychiatric Treatment Provider expectations may include:

1. Provides CPST specific activities to help the client succeed in the community; identify and access needed services; and to show improvement in school, work and family and integration and contributions within the community.

About Harbor:

A leading provider of mental health and substance use treatment for over 100 years
350+ clinical staff serve over 24,000 clients across multiple locations and in the community each year
Services ranging from counseling, pharmacological management, primary care, psychological testing, case management, substance use treatment, residential services, vocational program, and more!

Why Work for Harbor?

It is fast-paced and challenging, but you will have a lot of fun in the process. You will have the opportunity to meet other motivated individuals who are also making a positive impact at our company. Harbor is committed to investing our resources in you! Some benefits of working with Harbor include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement plan with company match
• Generous paid time off, sick time, and paid holidays
• Tuition and professional license reimbursement programs
• Clinical supervision hours offered
• Employee referral bonuses
• Ability to make a difference in your community!