Peer Specialist supports to individuals who are experiencing social, emotional, medical, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges in their home, and/or community. Services are delivered in a 6 trauma informed, culturally and linguistically competent manner that recognizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Certified Peer Specialists model recovery and may share their own recovery experience to support clients in the client’s own recovery. Peer Specialist help foster self-determination, self-advocacy if necessary, and informed decision making. Support the individual in their desire or lack of desire to participate in treatment, using motivational interventions, ultimately with the aim to help the individual decide for themselves if and how to participate in treatment. Peer Specialist create connections with individuals and provide one on one support while also helping individuals connect to community resources and natural supports.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Self-Advocacy, Self-Efficacy, and Empowerment

• Coaching and modeling shared decision-making and skills that support collaboration, in addition to providing opportunities to self-advocate.
•  Supporting individuals to advocate on behalf of themselves to promote shared decision making.
• Ensuring that individuals inform all planning and decision-making.
• Modeling strengths-based interactions by accentuating the positive.
• Modeling strengths-based interventions that highlight individual strengths that can be utilized to address barriers to recovery.
• Supporting the individuals in discovering their strengths and concerns.
• Assist individuals to identify and set goals and short-term objectives that reflect individual preferences and encourage active participation in life.
• Supporting individuals to be empowered to express their fears, expectations, and anxieties to promote positive effective communication.
• Assisting individuals to frame questions to ask providers.
• Assisting with development of psychiatric advance directives (PAD).
• Supporting individuals to express their dreams, strengths, and assets that encourage self-direction and choice.
• Supporting individuals to be empowered to make informed decisions regarding the nature of supports for themselves through:
• Sharing information about resources, services, and supports and exploring what might be useful for them;
• Exploring the needs and preferences of the individual and locating relevant resources; o Sharing information about benefits and helping the individual access benefits, food, shelter, permanent housing, etc.;
• Helping individuals understand eligibility rules; and
• Assisting individuals in exploring community inclusion that encourages usage of community resources and supports.
• Supporting individuals to be empowered to utilize self-directed recovery tools (e.g., MyCHOIS, Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), etc.).
• Working collaboratively with individuals to identify things that bring passion, purpose and meaning to their life and helping the person incorporate them into their life.
• Supporting an individual to develop a social network and build relationships with others and their respective communities.
• Assisting in navigating the service system including assisting with engagement and bridging during transitions in care, connecting to “warm lines” and community self-help groups.
• Facilitating groups teaching coping skills, life skills, and health/wellness skills.

Engagement, Bridging, and Transition Support:

• Validating the individual’s experiences and feelings.
• Relating to their own recovery stories, sharing personal recovery practices, and helping the individual to discover recovery practices that will work for them.
• Providing whole health wellness coaching, including sharing personal efforts to enhance health, wellness, and recovery.
• Modeling of recovery lifestyle, including participation in recovery activities (e.g., coffee/tea at a coffee shop, attending a recovery celebration, participating in a wellness activity, etc.).
• Supporting individuals with aftercare providers upon discharge from ERs, Detox Units, Inpatient Psychiatric Units, etc.
• Serving as a bridge between Individuals and service providers, supporting a productive and respectful partnership by assisting the individuals to express their strengths, needs and goals.
• Based on the strengths and needs of the individual, connecting them with appropriate services and supports. Accompanying the individual when visiting programs if requested by the individual.
• Facilitating meetings between individuals and service providers.
• Assisting the individual to gather, organize and prepare documents needed for specific services.
• Addressing any concrete or subjective barriers that may prevent individual participation in the community of their choice.
• Promoting continuity of engagement and supports as individuals’ needs and services change.

Peer Recovery Supports and Peer Counseling:

• Providing recovery education and self-help linkage for individuals and their family members.
• Providing non-clinical treatment planning support that incorporates life areas (e.g., community connectedness, physical wellness, spirituality, employment, self-help, etc.).
• Assisting with learning and practicing independent living skills.
• Helping individuals and families self-monitor their progress.
• Modeling effective coping skills.
• Provide hope and encouragement around community inclusion.

Community Connections, Natural Supports, and Transitional Supports:

• Supporting the individuals’ adjustment to home after an incarceration or institutional stay (e.g., psychiatric hospital, medical hospital, residential facility, detox, etc.).
• Assisting an individual in community living in various life roles.
• Arranging for aftercare services (appointment dates, contact information, etc.) with the individual and their significant others prior to discharge.
• Assisting individuals with inclusion and support in their own communities.
• Helping the individuals to rediscover and reconnect to natural supports already present in their lives.
• Utilizing the individuals’ knowledge of their community in developing new supportive relationships.

• Helping the individuals identify and become involved in leisure and recreational activities in their community.
• Arranging support and training as needed to facilitate participation in community activities.
• Conducting groups with individuals to strengthen social skills, increase sense of social connection, provide emotional support, and create opportunities for ongoing natural support.

Pre-crisis and Crisis Support Services:

• Providing advocacy and support when an individual is in an ED or crisis unit or prior to incarceration or admission to an institutional stay (e.g., detox, residential, hospitalization, etc.
• Providing support before or during a crisis or a relapse.
• Developing wellness, crisis diversion plans, or wellness promotion plans and helping the individual implement them.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

OMH New York Certified Peer Specialists (NYCPS) who:

a. Identify as being actively in recovery from a mental health condition and intentionally self-disclose one’s mental health recovery journey; b. Possess a certification from, or are provisionally certified as, a New York Certified Peer Specialist by an OMH-approved Certified Peer Specialist certification program; and c. Are supervised by any professional staff as defined in 599.4.