General Description

Denton County MHMR Center employees are to be committed to fostering an open, inclusive, and supportive environment that welcomes and embraces diversity in all forms. Denton County MHMR Center defines diversity broadly to include race, ethnicity, abilities (mental/physical), gender, gender identity, immigrant status, language, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, veteran status, age, and other groups.

Denton County MHMR Center employees are to strive to maintain a trauma sensitive workplace, to embrace trauma sensitive and informed practices, and to foster a supportive and welcoming environment of care.

This position is under the direction of the Special Projects Supervisor and within federal, state and local guidelines performs routine (journey-level) human services support work. The Mental Health and Recovery Peer Support Specialist will balance their time contributing as a member of both Mental Health Services and Substance Use Services in a peer support capacity to facilitate recovery and enhance wellness. Work involves providing information to clients or assisting staff in the delivery of social services and sharing lived experience of a substance use disorder.

Serves as a role model for recovery, for staff and consumers. Supports people using services to develop self-help skills. Provides practical support for people using services to access and utilize substance use needs, recovery supports, and community support networks, such as transportation support, accompaniment, etc. Educates people about the range of available services in and beyond the agency. Works under moderate supervision, with limited latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Education, Training and Experience (including licensure and certification)

High School diploma or High School equivalency certificate. Received a minimum of one-year of mental health services.
In order to qualify for this position, you must be able to:

- Self-identify as a person who has direct personal experience living in recovery from mental health and substance use challenges.
- Have a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder and/or a mental health condition.
- Have significant experience working on his/her own recovery and an ability to manage his/her own wellness. Have a desire to use her/his experiences to help others with their recovery.
- Be willing to publicly identify as a person living in recovery for the purpose of educating, role modeling, and providing hope to others about the reality of recovery.

REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATION, LICENSURE OR OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:

• All job specific training must be completed within 30 days of hire.
• Peer Support Certification (may be acquired after hire date)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of chemical dependency and alcoholism, addiction, co-dependency, and related disorders; of counseling techniques; and of recovery processes.
• Knowledge of the needs, problems, and community environments of persons with disabilities; of community and government service delivery systems; of case management systems; and of community welfare resources.
• Skill in the operation of computers and applicable computer software.
• Ability to negotiate services and to communicate effectively.
• Understanding and practice of Trauma Informed Care principles.

Essential Duties

1. Support the process of Person-Centered Planning focused on co-occurring psychiatric and substance use:
2. Using one's recovery story as the cornerstone skill, educate people about the reality of recovery, support people to envision the possibility of recovery or a better future, support people to explore recovery questions and uncertainties.
3. Using one's story as the cornerstone skill and other skills, teach people strategies for overcoming negative self-talk and fear.
4. Using one's story, support people to choose both short term and long term goals of value in the community, including housing, employment, relationships, etc.; support people to articulate, in their own words, their goals and aspirations in the development of their service plans, assist people to explore the skills and supports needed to achieve their valued goals, support people to articulate their needs in the goal-making process, support people in learning skills of self-advocacy and self-determination, teach people skills and strategies to overcome taught helplessness, offer hope to others that they can take a lead role in their lives, assist people in articulating personal goals for recovery.
5. Help create digital media to share lived experience and psychoeducation via social media.
6. Support Wellness Planning:
7. Share and support use of recovery tools including established best practices and individually developed tools and strategies.
8. Provide education on dimension of wellness (including physical, emotional, financial, spiritual) and ways to maintain personal wellness, recovery, and sobriety from substance use.
9. Provide 1:1 support around Wellness Planning and completing a WRAP plan to at least 2 individuals assessed to LOC3 or LOC4 a month.
10. Support Community Inclusion
11. Facilitate 1:1 Mental Health and Recovery Peer Support with community members and individuals.
12. Visit community resources with people using services to assist them in becoming familiar with potential opportunities.
13. Educate about self-help and community peer resources.
14. Support peoples' access to new resources.
15. Support peoples' desires to practice new skills in the community.
16. Provide Peer Support via Support and Educational Meeting:
17. Develop and facilitate mental health and/or substance use recovery based educational groups and activities.
18. Lead as well as teach people using services.
19. Assist people in setting up and sustaining substance use self-help groups based on appropriate need.
20. Facilitate Wellness Planning Activities, including assist people in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) support group.
21. Teach problem solving techniques with individuals and groups.
22. Attends and participates in all scheduled meetings.
23. Staff will attend all team meetings as scheduled and sign in for meetings to acknowledge their presence and understanding of the topics discussed.
24. If a meeting is missed, staff will get with supervisor within one week to review the information.