FCT-Recovery Peer Support Specialist (CARES)

Responsibilities:

Peer Support Services are based on the belief that beneficiaries diagnosed with serious mental health or substance use disorders can and do recover. The focus of the services is on the person, rather than the identified mental health or substance use disorder and emphasizes the acquisition, development, and expansion of rehabilitative skills needed to move forward in recovery. The services promote skills for coping with and managing symptoms while utilizing natural resources and the preservation and enhancement of community living skills.

Peer Support Services are based on the individual’s needs and coordinated within the context of their treatment plan. Structured services provided by PSS include:

Peer mentoring or coaching (one-on-one) –to encourage, motivate, and support beneficiary moving forward in recovery. Assist beneficiary with setting self-identified recovery goals, developing recovery action plans, and solving problems directly related to recovery, such as finding housing, developing natural support system, finding new uses of spare time, and improving job skills. Assist with issues that arise in connection with collateral problems such as legal issues or co-existing physical or mental challenges

Recovery resource connecting – connecting a beneficiary to professional and nonprofessional services and resources available in the community that can assist a beneficiary in meeting recovery goals.

Skill Building Recovery groups – structured skill development groups that focus on job skills, budgeting and managing credit, relapse prevention, and conflict resolution skills and support recovery.

Building community – assist a beneficiary in enhancing his or her social networks that promote and help sustain mental health and substance use disorder recovery. Organization of recovery-oriented services that provide a sense of acceptance and belonging to the community, promote learning of social skills and the opportunity to practice newly learned skills.

CPSS Staff will also provide the following therapeutic services:

FCT-R Screening/Join Up Meeting

 FCT-R Initial Recovery Assessment

 Referral/Screening Tool

 Crisis intake

 FCT-R Interventions

 Monitoring of family/parental progress

 24/7 crisis response

After-care linkage and follow up

Development of short and long-term family goals with measurable outcomes.

Attend, participate, and facilitate Child & Family Team Meetings

Attend weekly (more or less depending on the CPSS developmental needs, case complexity, etc.) case review supervision.

Provide thorough documentation including, FCT fidelity documentation, progress notes, monthly reports and assessments.

Testify in court as subpoenaed or requested.

The CPSS will provide Family Centered Treatment -Recovery to families and guide them through the four phases of treatment in a timely manner.

The CPSS will provide FCT-R to fidelity in terms of both meeting the intensity of the service delivery as well as completing the documentation required in each of the four phases

The CPSS will complete and maintain all program fidelity documents in a timely manner.

Each CPSS will work with 2 FCT-R practitioners maintain a case load of an average of 10 FCT-R-referred families.

A CPSS works a schedule that is flexible and able to meet the needs of each family they serve. This will often require meeting in the evenings and on the weekend.

The CPSS is a member of a team that meets weekly. Participation in team meetings are mandatory and require the FCT Practitioner to serve as facilitator and recorder on a rotating basis.

May assist with training as requested by management.

May assist/complete other projects/duties as requested by management.

Required Training for the Provision of FCT-R Services:

The AR CPSS Program certifies persons who meet the eligibility criteria in recovery from a significant mental illness and/or substance use disorder and accepts certification through the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP). Certification means that the Program acknowledges that the peer has met the requirements to support individuals with mental health or substance use disorder. The Program certifies peers for two years, and CPSS is responsible for maintaining their certification by renewing their certificate by the due date. Training Requirements include:

Approved Course Training Certificate (Certification must be completed within two years of completing the training, i.e., two years starting from the date of training completion as recorded on the Approved Course training certificate)

Additional Training (Training certificates must add up to 20 hours and must occur after the last certification or recertification date if lapsed in the past).

All training must be related to human service, mental health, substance use, and/or Peer Support: such training can include (but not limited to), Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), Person-Centered Thinking, Personal Assistance in Community Existence (PACE), and Crisis Prevention.

A maximum of eight (8) hours of training related to children and families will be accepted.

Applicants can also use college coursework if related to the work of AR CPSS and will enhance the ability to provide services to people with mental health and/or substance use disorder.

Required Ethics Training: The AR CPSS Program requires the completion of at least three (3) hours of Ethics Training for certification as follows:

CPSS certifying must submit at least 3 hours of required ethics training. The required courses include Ethics 101 and Boundaries, which will be counted towards the 20 additional hours of training required for certification.

CPSS will complete applicable units of FCT-R training as prescribed by the FCT Foundation.

Qualifications

The PSS program must follow the AR and NCC AP Peer Support Specialist Code of Ethics and Values and principles when rendering PSS services. All ethical issues must be governed by the administrators of the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP) and policies and procedures established by the hiring provider agency.

CPSS shall not work outside the scope of their certification or core competencies. CPSS shall only provide services to a beneficiary with similar lived experiences.

Knowledge of peer support principles, values and ethics.

Ability to share lived experience to support, encourage and enhance a beneficiary’s treatment and recovery.

Possess recovery-oriented skills and knowledge to provide peer support services.

Ability to engage and build rapport with clients.

Knowledge of community resources.

Knowledge of child & adult development.

Ability to work with a culturally diverse population.

Ability to make judgment calls and quick decisions in crisis situations.

Strong oral and written communications.

Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently.

The successful candidate will regularly demonstrate an ability to meet training and paperwork deadlines.

The FCT-R PSS must demonstrate the ability and willingness to accept feedback - and adapt their own behavior in response to feedback.

A FCT-R PSS must be comfortable with learning to use teleconferencing hardware and software enough to participate in meetings and supervisions with other staff or FCT-R

personnel.

Intermediate or advanced knowledge of computer word processing.

Ability to work flexible hours, carry and respond to a company cell phone daily, and travel as necessary.

Ability to work well in a team environment required.

Ability to conceptualize, organize, create and follow through with assigned projects required.

Must possess/obtain current CPR and First Aid certification

Possess an understanding of the rules of confidentiality

Possess a valid driver’s license, safe and reliable personal automobile transportation, and valid auto insurance policy

Criminal background checks must meet requirements of service provision standards.

Ability to climb stairs

Additional Qualifications

High School Diploma or equivalent

A minimum of 2 continuous years of abstinence-based recovery from lived experience with substance use and/or a mental health disorders.

Must be currently approved as a Peer in Training (PIT) and receiving supervision or be certified through Arkansas DHS as a Peer Recovery Specialist (PR) or an Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist (APR) or a Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor (PRPS).

Basic computer skills to be able to work within an electronic medical record, email, Microsoft applications including SharePoint, etc.

Additional Mandatory Requirements:

Ability to document accurately and professionally.

Must be physically capable to receive verbal and written directions.

Remains current in Crisis Prevention Intervention Training, CPR & First Aid

Must be willing and able to work with all patients of Methodist Family Health, regardless of gender.

Must have good auditory, visual, and olfactory ability.

Use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls.

Must be able to maintain effective audio, visual discrimination and perception needed for making observations, communicating with others, reading, and writing, and operating office equipment and other treatment equipment.

Must be able to use a telephone to communicate verbally and a computer to communicate through written means, to review information and enter/retrieve data, to see and read characters on a computer screen, chart, or other treatment items.

Requires the ability to sit for long periods of time and intermittently walk, stand, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach with hands and arms.

Job descriptions are not intended, nor should be construed, to be all-inclusive lists of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with a job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.

Pursuant to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act 593, this position is a designated safety-sensitive position according to MFH/MCH/MBH standards and processes

Level One - Full Access: Ongoing regular access to PHI of all forms while the employee is on duty and performing within the scope of his or her job as defined by the employee's job description, and Policy and Procedure. "Such access must be for cause, consistent with job responsibilities and related to patients, claims, audits, reviews and other legitimate business purposes." (e.g. Physicians, nurses and other clinicians)