What are the responsibilities and job description for the Peer Support Specialist - Mental Health position at Westbrook Health Services, Inc?
Summary: Peer Support Specialists will utilize their lived experience with mental health challenges, substance use and/or other aspects of their lives to provide support, resources, and guidance to clients. They share their own path to recovery in order to foster a sense of trust and mutuality with the client with the goal of empowering the client to feel less isolated and provide opportunities for future goal attainment. Peer Support Specialists also participate in activities related to community awareness of recovery and stigma reduction and promote person-centered, recovery-focused, strength-based service delivery.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs.
- Acts as Westbrook’s primary contact with client.
- Provides person and family-centered care to clients
- Initiates and sustains individuals in recovery from substance use, abuse and/or mental health treatment.
- Promote an individual’s recovery by acting as a guide/mentor for overcoming personal and environmental obstacles that jeopardize their recovery.
- Links and refers individuals to resources for harm reduction, detoxification, treatment, family support and education, and local or online support groups.
- Provides supports for clients, including linking to resources for housing, employment/educational services, medical care, childcare, and/or transportation
- Assure transportation needs are met for client including transporting clients to appointments as necessary.
- Advocates for and assists the client in obtaining needed physical, behavioral, and social services.
- Supports positive change by offering hope and help to anyone, including people involved in treatment, to avoid relapses, build community support for recovery and work on life goals.
- Provides Targeted Case Management including supportive counseling services within scope of training and competencies for clients who are eligible for the services.
- Provide care coordination services across different settings, including office, home and community.
- Collects and submits service data to required organizations
- Comply with federal, state and company policies, procedures and regulations.
- Maintains confidentiality of all consumer information and comply with HIPAA and 42CFR part 2 regulations
- Demonstrates knowledge of and supports Westbrook Health Services mission, vision, values, policies and procedures, operating instructions, confidentiality standards and code of ethical behavior.