What are the responsibilities and job description for the Peer Support Specialist I / II position at Akeela, Inc.?
Function
The Peer Support Specialist uses personal lived experience with recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both to build hope, connection, and confidence with individuals receiving Akeela services.
Working as a distinct member of the interdisciplinary team, the Peer Support Specialist provides recovery-oriented and person-directed support through individual contacts, groups, skill building, resource navigation, advocacy, and community connection. Peer services complement, but do not replace, clinical treatment, case management, counseling, or crisis-response functions.
Akeela maintains two levels within this position. Peer Support Specialist I is the entry and developing level. Peer Support Specialist II is the certified and proficient level and performs the same core function with greater independence. Akeela may hire at either level based on experience, training, certification, and demonstrated competency.
Competencies
The Peer Support Specialist must be able to demonstrate competency in the following areas:
Skills
Use lived experience purposefully to foster hope, reduce shame and isolation, and support client-defined goals.
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The Peer Support Specialist uses personal lived experience with recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both to build hope, connection, and confidence with individuals receiving Akeela services.
Working as a distinct member of the interdisciplinary team, the Peer Support Specialist provides recovery-oriented and person-directed support through individual contacts, groups, skill building, resource navigation, advocacy, and community connection. Peer services complement, but do not replace, clinical treatment, case management, counseling, or crisis-response functions.
Akeela maintains two levels within this position. Peer Support Specialist I is the entry and developing level. Peer Support Specialist II is the certified and proficient level and performs the same core function with greater independence. Akeela may hire at either level based on experience, training, certification, and demonstrated competency.
Competencies
The Peer Support Specialist must be able to demonstrate competency in the following areas:
Skills
- Building respectful, mutual, and recovery-focused relationships while maintaining the role clarity and boundaries of a peer professional
- Using lived experience intentionally and selectively to communicate hope and support client-defined goals
- Engaging clients through strengths-based, person-directed, motivational, and nonjudgmental approaches
- Facilitating individual and group peer support within the employees training and assigned scope
- Supporting self-advocacy, recovery planning, wellness, coping, community participation, and independent-living skills
- Navigating community, cultural, spiritual, educational, vocational, housing, health, transportation, and recovery resources
- Communicating and collaborating effectively with clinical, residential, medical, case management, and administrative staff
- Completing timely, accurate, person-centered documentation in an electronic health record
- Recognizing increased risk or crisis and promptly involving designated clinical, supervisory, medical, or emergency personnel
- Using supervision proactively when navigating boundaries, dual relationships, triggers, or questions about the peer role
- Understanding peer support values, the National Practice Guidelines for Peer Specialists and Supervisors, and applicable peer ethical standards.
- Understanding recovery as a person-directed process with multiple pathways, including clinical, mutual-aid, cultural, spiritual, and community-based supports.
- Understanding the distinction between peer support and clinical treatment, counseling, case management, medical services, and crisis response.
- Understanding confidentiality, client rights, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, mandatory reporting requirements, and Akeela policy.
- Understanding trauma-informed care, cultural humility, recovery capital, motivational approaches, harm reduction, and wellness planning.
- Understanding documentation and payer requirements, including the need to connect each peer service to an identified treatment or service-plan goal.
- Understanding Anchorage and statewide behavioral health, recovery, housing, benefits, employment, transportation, and other community resources.
- Demonstrating hope, empathy, authenticity, respect, and belief in each persons capacity for recovery.
- Maintaining professional boundaries and avoiding financial, romantic, social, or other dual relationships with current clients.
- Respecting client choice and supporting multiple pathways of recovery without prescribing a single path.
- Practicing cultural humility and communicating respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds.
- Maintaining reliability, accountability, confidentiality, and ethical conduct.
- Balancing empathy with appropriate role limits and avoiding rescuing, directing, or making he interaction about the employees own experience.
- Responding with flexibility to changing client and program needs while remaining within the peer role.
- Demonstrating self-awareness, personal wellness, emotional resilience, and appropriate use of supervision.
- Collaborating as a team member while preserving the unique purpose and perspective of peer support.
- Performing other related duties as required.
- Peer Engagement and Recovery Support
Use lived experience purposefully to foster hope, reduce shame and isolation, and support client-defined goals.
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