Peer Advocate COTI

Major Duties and Responsibilities: The COTI Recovery Peer Advocate is an active member in the FLACRA COTI department and provides peer support services to clients with substance use disorders. Under the supervision of the Program Manager the peer advocate will function as a role model to peers; exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills; serve as a consumer advocate, providing consumer information and peer support for clients in the community. The peer advocate performs a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process. Recovery resources such as booklets, tapes, pamphlets and other written materials will be utilized by the peer advocate in the provision of services. This position focuses on those in the community, with special emphasis on those in crisis, and early in the continuum of stages of change. As a result community networking is an integral part of the role.

Duties

• Serves as an active member of the client’s care team, including participation in team meetings and treatment planning meetings as appropriate.
• Assists clients in development of recovery plan, including crisis plan and/or support in the midst of a crisis.
• Provides psycho-education with focus on illness management and peer support.
• Serves as role model for clients by sharing own recovery process and teaching effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.
• Provides case management, resourcing, service collaboration for individual clients as extension of case management services.
• Maintains accurate, thorough records on all assigned cases and uses documentation to assist clients in evaluating progress.
• Maintains accurate documentation as required by applicable grants.
• Provides advocacy services on behalf of clients.
• Helps increase community awareness of services available.
• Informs supervisor, and other members of treatment team as indicated, of issues/concerns related to individual clients.
• Participates in required trainings to maintain certification.
• Knowledge of Crisis Intervention and Early Engagement
• Provides 1 week of overnight on call services in rotation with others.
• Tier 2 staff are expected to model leadership and help support Tier 1 peers.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: Completion of NY state-certified peer support specialist training through OMH or OASAS. Ability to take part in on call rotation. Valid NYS drivers license.

• Tier 1 – Participation in first offered peer certification training, acquiring CRPA-P no later than 4 months after employment.
• Tier 2 – certification as a CRPA-P or CRPA

• Other Skills/Knowledge and Experience

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Eighteen years of age or older.
• Good interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills.
• Knowledge of applicable population group and principles/philosophy of recovery.
• Ability to multi-task, have good problem solving and time management skills and the ability to remain calm in a crisis
• Must have NY state driver license.
• Comfort/ability to provide services in the community to those in need.
• Ability to provide overnight on call coverage in a weekly rotation.

• LIVED EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED