JOB TITLE: BH Peer Support Specialist
SUPERVISOR: Director of Behavioral & Mental Health Services
Behavioral Health Consultants (Clinical Supervisor)
DEPARTMENT: Integrated Care/Mental & Behavioral Health Services
The BH Peer Support Specialist works under the clinical supervision of the Behavioral Health Consultants as a member of the integrated care services team. Peer Support staff are persons with lived experience (self-identified current and former consumers of behavioral health services) who provide specialized therapeutic interactions to offer support and assistance in heling others in their recovery and community integration process.
Services provided by BH Peer Support Specialists are intended to promote empowerment, self-determination, understanding, coping skills, and resiliency through mentoring and service coordination supports that allow persons to achieve personal wellness and to cope with the stressors and barriers encountered during recovery.
Primary Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Follow up on screenings to introduce patients to integrated care and engage in services
- Availability for warm handoffs from other members of the primary care team to introduce and engage individuals in services and supports
- Complete basic assessments of support needs and goals for care, helping patients understand and choose from a menu of services
- Assisting in the development and monitoring of safety or recovery plans
- Follow up visits with persons seen by the Behavioral Health Consultants to assist with monitoring and implementation of plans of care and support individuals in accomplishing treatment goals.
- Assisting persons with finding and navigating resources to meet social needs
- Accompanying persons to activities and appointments with collaborating service providers.
- Coaching peers in health, wellness, coping skills, and recovery strategies.
- Employing motivational interviewing techniques, harm reduction approaches, and other skills to match individual’s stage of change while maintaining a supportive and welcoming environment
- Coordinating services and facilitating communication among and between other members of the care team, including the primary care team and other community-based services and supports
Necessary skills:
- Customer service skills
- Basic computing skills and willingness to learn how to use an electronic health record
- Self-identifies having lived experience as defined in Pennsylvania certification and regulatory guidelines.
Education and Qualifications:
- High-school diploma or GED.
- Certification as a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS), or Certified Family Recovery Specialist (CFRS) OR eligible for completion of PA Certification Board-approved training and certification within 6 months of hire.
- Access to reliable transportation and willingness to travel between locations, including meeting with health center patients in community settings. Valid PA drivers license preferred (peers will not be required to transport patients).
